Pokémon: The Chase for a Hero
by Westrmistr
Summary: When one man initiates his plan, it sets in motion a chain of events that affect the lives of certain unsuspecting individuals.
1. Chapter 1

"Pokémon: The Chase for a Hero" by Westrmistr (Westermeister)

I do not own Pokémon. This story and all original characters, concepts, and events belong to me.

"Pokémon: The Chase for a Hero" was my first true foray into the writing field. It helped me grow as a writer, and the progression of my skill over the time it took to write this is apparent as you read through it.

I began writing this back in early 2009, finished writing it in late 2010, and completed the final edit in late 2011. It was originally posted on a forum that has unfortunately gone down. I decided it was time to re-post it in a place where people could read it again.

I want to dedicate this story to the people of that forum, to all those that made it such a great place, and to the ones who read my story and gave me help and advice.

I'd also like to dedicate this story to, and to take a moment to thank, my proofreader, who was integral to the final edit.

Credit goes to SirDreamWorks from deviantART for the reworked high-resolution image of the map used in the cover. I made the logo.

This story takes place five years after the beginning of Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green Versions, as well as the beginning of the Pokémon anime; it combines the canons of both series as one continuity. If you have any comments or questions about this story, by all means, leave a review or send me a PM directly, and I will get back to you.

Please take a look at my profile; images related to the story are listed there to help illustrate certain characters' appearances.

Without further ado, here it is!

* * *

Prologue

In a dark, chaos-torn world, lightning traced the sky over an endless abyss, and a battle waged on. The only illumination in this world was the occasional flash and the menacing red glow emitting from two Pokémon's eyes.

The two Pokémon were silhouetted only for a second. Both were determined they wouldn't lose this fight. They floated in the darkness for a few moments; then came the flash of lightning again, accompanied by crashing thunder.

One of the Pokémon was very large, gray in color, and had a ring around its stomach. The second Pokémon mirrored the first.

One again came the burst of light. The two let out a cry that sounded so otherworldly it would have sent chills down a person's spine.

Both looked into the other's red eyes, awaiting a cue to attack. The lightning flashed, illuminating the Pokémon, then came the rumble of thunder. The enemies howled and charged at one another, clashing with great force, sending shockwaves in every direction.

The fight continued on, not showing any sign of letting up.

A man sat in a dark room talking over a radio, "Base Camp Alpha, status report."

"We have located one of the targets," a voice crackled back.

"Excellent. What about the other?"

"We have yet to find the second target. Base Camp Beta is still looking."

"Very well then. Prepare the item for shipping to headquarters immediately."

"Yes, sir." The radio went silent.

The man reached for a remote control. Pressing a button, a large monitor screen lit up. On it was a blueprint of a structure. Then, he brought up a schematic of an airship and smiled evilly. "It's all coming together," he said, chuckling.

* * *

Chapter 1

It was early in the morning; the sun had just barely begun to shine its rays on Pallet Town. It was a peaceful little village located in the Kanto Region, where many new trainers came to obtain their first Pokémon. This town had been used in many stories as the place where dreams and journeys began.

A young man lay in his bed. He swung his arm as if he was throwing a Poké Ball, hitting himself in the face. He sat up with a jerk, rubbing his nose.

"Ouch…" he muttered to himself.

Chase had black hair, blue eyes, and was a little more than five feet tall. He got out of bed and walked over to his dresser. Opening one of the drawers, he got out a black t-shirt and blue jeans. Chase quickly changed from his pajamas to his street clothes, grabbed a belt that was lying on top of the dresser, and strung it through his belt loops. Chase yawned and walked out of his room into the dimly lit hallway, tiptoeing quietly until he reached the door to his parent's room. He peered in through the crack to see if they were still in bed. He couldn't see very well without opening the door further, so he continued on.

Quietly walking down the hallway into the kitchen, he looked around. There was a refrigerator and a sink to the right of him; to his left were some cabinets. Chase walked past the refrigerator and turned left.

Chase was startled when he saw a figure standing there. A tall man was in front of Chase holding a pan with scrambled eggs.

"W-what are you doing up this early? I thought you were still asleep!" Chase said to his father.

"Well, today's your tenth birthday, so I knew you would be getting up early," he replied. "Here's some breakfast!"

Chase and his father sat down and ate. After they were done, the boy got up from his chair.

"Hey, where are you going?" Chase's father asked with a grin on his face. Chase just stood there. "You're going to go get your first Pokemon, aren't you?"

"Well, yes," Chase admitted.

"You're not going now."

"Why not?"

"Because it's eight in the morning, and I don't think Professor Oak is even awake yet."

"Oh…"

"Why don't you go pack? I'd say Professor Oak will have everything ready for new Trainers around ten."

"All right!" Chase agreed. He walked back to his room and took out his new, tan-colored backpack. He filled it with extra clothes and food for his trip.

Chase sat down on his bed and rolled over to the other side. There on the ground was an old Game Boy Advance SP. Chase picked it up and turned it on. The colorful "Game Boy" sign appeared and a chime sounded. The screen went black, then Chase started to press the A button rapidly, trying to skip the opening scene. Then, the Pokémon FireRed title screen appeared. He pressed A again and the game started. Chase went to his party, where there was a lone level 100 Charizard.

"Well, this is goodbye, old friend." Chase played on his game until it was time to leave.

Around ten o'clock, Chase turned his game off, grabbed his backpack, a blue jacket, said goodbye to his parents and hugged them, then ran outside. His mother and father stepped out the front door; the man called to his son.

"Goodbye, Chase! Have a safe journey!" he yelled while waving his hand, proud to see his boy growing up.

"Good luck, and stay in touch, honey!" Chase's mother called, also waving. Chase waved back to them in return, telling them that he would.

The boy in blue ran up a large slope leading to Professor Oak's lab. He knocked on the door. A tall, elderly man with gray hair opened it.

"Hello! You must be the new Trainer! I was expecting you!" Oak said happily as he motioned for Chase to come into his laboratory. The room was white in color, and there were many machines scattered around. At the back of the room, there was a table with three Poké Balls lying on it. Chase ran up to the table and looked about in excitement.

"So, which one do you want?" the professor asked. Chase looked over the spheres and chose one.

"I want Charmander!" Chase declared as he tossed the red and white sphere into the air. It opened and a white light shot out. The stream of energy hit the ground, and a small, lizard-like build materialized.

"Charmander!" it said happily. Chase bent down to look the orange Pokemon in the eye.

"Hey," he said, "do you want to come with me on an adventure?" Charmander crossed its arms, closed its eyes, and turned its head away in response.

"Char," it said quickly in disagreement Chase was disappointed. Charmander opened one eye and looked at the boy, a smile creeping across its face. Chase realized it was only joking.

"You were just fooling me! You do want to go, don't you?" He picked Charmander up. "Hey? Do you like running?" he asked. Charmander nodded and said its name. "Okay!" Chase set it on his shoulders and started to run around the lab in a circle.

"Charmander! Charmander!" it exclaimed, enjoying the ride. Professor Oak smiled in pleasure at the two getting along so well.

"If you like that," Chase said, "just wait until we get outside! It'll feel like you're flying!"

Just then, a shockwave pulsated through the room. The blast sent Chase, Charmander, and Professor Oak flying into the air, blowing over many piles of paper and notebooks. They landed on the floor with a thud.

"When you said it was going to be like you're flying, I didn't know you meant it literally!" Professor Oak said, rubbing his head.

"Yeah, me either…" the new Trainer responded. Charmander was lying on it's back, dazed.

"Char…" its voice trailed off weakly while it held its tail away from the ground.

"Are you okay, Charmander?" Chase asked. The Fire-type sat up and nodded.

"Char!" it responded.

"What do you think _that _was, Professor Oak?" Chase asked. Charmander looked up at the professor, waiting for an answer.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I've never experienced anything like that before."

"Well, what ever it was, I'm sure you'll get to the bottom of it," Chase assured the old man.

"I hope so…" Oak thought for a moment. "Oh! I still need to give you your Pokédex and Poké Balls!" He walked over to his desk, grabbing five Poké Balls and a red notepad-shaped device known as a Pokédex. "Here you go!" he said, handing them to Chase.

"Thank you!"

Chase put the capturing devices on his belt along with Charmander's Poké Ball, and the Pokédex into his backpack.

"Good luck!" Oak said happily. Chase thanked him again. He ran outside with Charmander holding onto his head. Oak began tidying up his lab, completely baffled at what had happened.

Coming to a stop, Chase said, "Now, would you like to go in your Poké Ball for a little bit?" Charmander nodded and jumped off of Chase's shoulder. "Return, Charmander!" A red beam of light shot from the button of the Poké Ball, returning it. With that, Chase walked out of Pallet Town and onto the well-known Route 1.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chase walked trough the lush Route 1, approaching Viridian City. He thought to himself about collecting Badges to compete in the Indigo League. That was what he had always wanted to do.

The new Trainer walked to an old wooden bench with plants growing up around it. He sat down and took out the Pokédex Professor Oak had given him. Opening the red-colored device, he pressed the power button and turned it on. The Pokédex had a long list of information on many Pokémon, but Chase chose the entry on Charmander. A blue light flashed on the top right corner of the machine and it started to speak in a computerized voice, "CHARMANDER, THE LIZARD POKéMON. FROM THE TIME IT IS BORN, A FLAME BURNS AT THE TIP OF ITS TAIL. ITS LIFE WOULD END IF THE FLAME WERE TO GO OUT."

The handheld did contain further information, such as the Fire-type's height, weight, and footprint. But the best way to learn was from experience, so he turned his attention to his Pokémon. Chase put the Pokédex back into his pocket and grabbed Charmander's Poké Ball. Chase pressed the middle button and the sphere opened, releasing a burst of white energy that took form as Charmander.

"Hey, Charmander!" Chase said to his new companion. Charmander looked up at him with a smile. "So, have you had any battle experience?" Charmander shook its head. "Well, how about we start training? Maybe we could even catch a Pokémon!" Charmander jumped in the air for joy. It was definitely excited to go on a journey.

Chase stood up and walked towards the tall grass as Charmander followed. He walked into the large patch, hoping for a Pokémon to appear. Charmander looked apprehensive.

"What's wrong?" Chase asked. Charmander pointed to its tail.

"It's all right. Just keep your tail above the grass and everything will be fine," he assured the Fire-type Pokémon. Charmander raised its tail like Chase had instructed and walked into the grass.

A rustling came from a bush nearby. Chase and Charmander readied themselves. It shook more and more, and then a Pidgey jumped out.

"Cool! A Pidgey!" Chase exclaimed. He quickly took out his Pokédex and pointed it at the Pokémon. It switched on and started to speak again.

"PIDGEY, THE TINY BIRD POKéMON. IT IS DOCILE AND PREFERS TO AVOID CONFLICT. IF DISTURBED, HOWEVER, IT CAN FEROCIOUSLY STRIKE BACK."

Chase tucked the Pokédex back into his pocket and commanded, "Charmander! Use Scratch!"

Chase's small Pokémon ran up to Pidgey and scratched it. The Normal-, Flying-type reeled back, but retaliated by using a Tackle attack. Charmander dodged, then tried to use another Scratch, but missed.

"Use Scratch again!" Chase called. Charmander started to run towards the bird Pokémon, but stopped. The Pidgey was flying up for another Tackle. Chase's Pokémon positioned itself, and then hit the Pidgey head on with its Scratch. Pidgey fell to the ground, knocked out. "Awesome job, Charmander!" Chase cheered. "Now, here I go!"

Chase grabbed a Poké Ball and tossed it. It hit the Pidgey, dissolving it into red light. The Poké Ball fell to the ground and started to wiggle back and forth with the button flashing red. After a few moments of waiting, the sphere made a deep chiming noise, signaling Pidgey had been caught.

"Yes!" Chase exclaimed. He ran over to the Poké Ball and picked it up. "Now all we need to do is get to Viridian."

Just then, a strong wind started to blow. "Whoa," the Trainer muttered. Then, a powerful shockwave catapulted Chase and Charmander into the air; they fell back into the tall grass without injury. "That's what happened back at Professor Oak's lab! What is that?"

Chase noticed smoke rising from behind Charmander, who was sitting down. "Charmander? Why is there smoke behind you?" the Fire-type stood up and walked away from the spot. There was a small flame lit on the grass. "Oh no! We set the grass on fire!" Chase blurted as he dove for the small flame. He started blowing on it while Charmander ran back and forth saying its name frantically.

"Charmander? Will you help me with the fire, please?" Chase yelled at the exaggerating Pokémon. Charmander calmed down and looked at Chase, nodding. Its Trainer started blowing on the fire again when a large stick fell on it, making the flame bigger.

Chase looked up and saw Charmander putting sticks on the fire, one by one. "No! That's not what I meant! I wanted you to help me put _out_ the fire!" Charmander looked at Chase in confusion, but realized it misunderstood. The Pokémon walked up to the fire and sat on it, covering the flame.

"That did it!" Chase proclaimed. Charmander smiled, but that smile turned into a frown as the Pokémon leaped off of the fire and ran to a puddle. It plopped itself down in the water, making sure not to drench its tail, sighing in relief.

"Are you okay?" the Trainer asked as he watched the flames spread. Charmander stood up and walked back to the burning grass, bearing in mind to never sit on a fire again. "What should we do?" The Lizard Pokémon only shrugged in response.

Chase had an idea. He grabbed Pidgey's Poké Ball and tossed it into the air. It released the small bird Pokémon who had recovered slightly.

"Pidgey, I know you're probably still weak from the battle we just had, but I need you to fly to Viridian City and get help. I don't think I can make it in time," he explained while pointing to town. Pidgey nodded and quickly flew north.

Chase and Charmander turned their attention back to the fire. It had spread to a tree and more of the grass. It looked like it wasn't going to stop.

Chase looked at the puddle Charmander had plopped down in a few moments ago. He ran over to it and scooped up some water in his hands and ran back to the growing fire. The fire didn't react when he tossed the water onto it and engulfed a bush.

Chase ran back to the bench. "It looks like we can't do anything to stop it. Let's just hope Pidgey can get some help," he said, sitting down in defeat. Chase just watched the flames spread to more trees. Then, he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

It was Pidgey! Following behind were four firefighters and Officer Jenny. The firemen threw Poké Balls into the air, releasing four Blastoise.

"Hydro Pump!" called one of the firefighters. The giant, light blue turtles shot powerful jets of water out of the two cannons mounted in each of their shells. Soon, the fire was out; only the smell of burnt wood and the charred bushes, trees, and grass remained.

"Pidgey! You did it!" Chase praised his new flying friend. The small Pokémon happily cooed as it landed on its new Trainer's head. He laughed and held Pidgey's Poké Ball. "Return, Pidgey. You deserve some rest."

A red beam of light shot out and hit Pidgey, recalling it into the ball. Chase turned to Charmander and said crossly, "Why did you feed the fire like that?" Charmander frowned and hung its head.

Chase's expression changed to a more understanding one. "Hey now, I'm sorry. It's not your fault. I _am_ the one who said it was all right for you to come in the grass, anyway. It'll be okay, Charmander." The little Pokémon brightened up and returned to its normal self.

"How did this happen?" Officer Jenny asked, looking at the damage.

Since Jenny probably wouldn't believe that a shockwave knocked them over, he answered, "After I had caught my Pidgey, a strong gust of wind started to blow. It knocked Charmander into the grass, and its tail caught it on fire. We tried to put it out, but there were some, uh, difficulties."

"Well, I suppose you're not in trouble for that," Jenny said as she wrote down some notes in a notebook. "What is your name?"

"Chase. And of course, this is my Charmander." Charmander nodded in agreement.

"Well, Chase, I expect you to be more careful from now on. And that was a smart move, telling Pidgey to go get help. I was out patrolling and it started flying around my head. Next thing I knew, I was looking at a pillar of smoke coming from Route 1." Chase thanked her. Jenny smiled, said good-bye, and left with the fireman.

Chase went to the Pokémon Center in Viridian and asked Nurse Joy to heal his Pidgey. When the pink-haired nurse handed Pidgey back to Chase, he thanked her and returned his Pokémon. Then he walked out of the Pokémon Center holding a map. "If I were a Gym, where would I be? I know one is in this city…" Then he took his two Poké Balls from his belt and opened them to release Charmander and Pidgey to help.

The threesome walked around town, following the map to the point where Chase didn't know where he was going. "Man! We've been going in circles!" Chase exclaimed as he saw a street sign for the third time. He collapsed on the ground in frustration. Charmander pulled on his shirt and pointed to the sky. Chase looked up and saw Pidgey searching for the Gym. Soon, it came back down.

"Did you find the Gym?" Chase asked excitedly. Pidgey chirped its name and flew down one of the streets. "I guess that's a yes!" Chase and Charmander followed the bird Pokémon to Viridian Gym.

"Finally!" the Trainer sighed in relief. Chase reached for the doorknob, but suddenly, it swung open and hit him square in the face. "Ouch!"

"Oh, are you okay? I'm so sorry," the man who stepped through the door said with a slight accent in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Chase said, rubbing his nose. "But, who are you?"

"My name is Giovanni. I am the Leader of this Gym." Giovanni was wearing a red suit, had tan skin, dark hair, and was carrying a briefcase.

"Great! My name is Chase, and I'm a new Trainer. Can I challenge you to a match?"

"I'm sorry, I am leaving on a business trip."

"Darn. First a shockwave, then a fire, now the Gym Leader can't battle me…"

"Wait, did you say a…shockwave?"

Oops, he let that one slip. "Um, yes. Why?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Now, you better run along. I've got to get going."

"Okay, goodbye."

Chase walked away. When he was out of earshot, Giovanni pulled out a portable radio and said into the receiver, "Hello? Do you copy?"

"Yes, sir," a voice replied.

"I need a transport back immediately. There's been a new development."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After spending the night in Viridian City's Pokémon Center, Chase walked through Viridian forest, upset about missing out on an opportunity to battle Giovanni. Charmander and Pidgey were in their Poké Balls for the time being.

Chase got a feeling something was following him as he walked down a dirt path slowly. He heard a noise coming from the trees, and he quickened his pace. Chase came to a complete halt when he heard a twig snap.

"Who's there?" he asked timidly, backing up against a tree. He looked up and saw something falling right on top of him.

"Caaaterpie!" it squealed as it softly landed on Chase's face, jiggling like a marshmallow. Chase let out a cry and jerked back into the tree, knocking Caterpie to the ground.

"A sneak attack, huh? Well, take this! I choose you, Pidgey!" He threw his Poké Ball into the air and Pidgey took form.

The bird flew at Caterpie, tackling it. The Bug-type fell to the ground, but quickly got up on its feet. Enraged, it launched a String Shot attack. The stretchy silk tangled Pidgey's wings, making the Pokémon lose its balance. Caterpie ran up to Pidgey and watched it struggle on the ground for a moment, wondering if it had won. Pidgey was able to free itself from the threads shortly after.

"Tackle!" Chase called out. The Bug-type tried to counter with a Tackle of its own, but Pidgey dodged and came in from the side. Caterpie fell to the ground with swirls in its eyes. "Go, Poké Ball!"

Chase chucked a red and white sphere at the fainted bug Pokémon, hitting its head. The Poké Ball wiggled back and forth with the red light flashing in the middle. After a few seconds, Caterpie was caught.

"Yes! We did it! Good job, Pidgey!" Chase praised his Pokémon before returning it.

Chase walked up to the Poké Ball lying on the ground and picked it up. He tossed it in the air and released his new Pokémon. Caterpie took form and landed on Chase's face.

"Hey, now! Don't do that!" Chase said, irritated. As he held Caterpie out in front of him, it looked at him with big, round eyes.

"Cater?" it said.

Chase could feel an instant bond between them. He smiled, leaving his guard down. Caterpie reared its head back and let go a String Shot right into Chase's face. The Pokémon Trainer let out a cry. After freeing himself, Chase returned Caterpie, saying, "I'll get you to a Pokémon Center soon."

He took out his Pokédex and looked up the entry on Caterpie, "CATERPIE, THE WORM POKéMON. IT IS COVERED WITH A GREEN SKIN. WHEN IT GROWS, IT SHEDS THE SKIN, COVERS ITSELF WITH SILK, AND BECOMES A COCOON." Chase then resumed his trek through the forest.

Pidgey and Charmander got in some training by battling the Weedle that tried to attack Chase along the way.

Now, the new Trainer was at his next destination, Pewter City, to Challenge the Gym Leader there for the Boulder Badge!

Chase arrived at the Pokémon Center and asked Nurse Joy to heal his Pokémon. When they were rested, Chase thanked the nurse and left, looking for Pewter's Gym. He walked around town until he saw a square building made of rock.

"Wow…" Chase marveled. Then the large, metal doors opened, and a Trainer walked out, holding a pin. He was wearing a green shirt, brown pants, and a blue backpack.

"Did you just beat the Gym Leader?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, it was easy! My Pokémon took him down so fast, he didn't know what hit him! Hey, do you want to have a battle?"

"Okay!" Chase agreed.

"How about a one-on-one?"

"That sounds good!"

"Come on out, Bulbasaur!" the Trainer shouted as a red and white sphere opened. A green, dinosaur-like Pokémon with a bulb on it's back appeared.

"A Grass-type, huh? I choose you, Pidgey!" Chase called as his bird Pokémon took to the field. He pulled out his Pokédex to look up Bulbasaur before the match started. He pointed the small, red machine at the Grass-type. It turned on and started to talk in its computerized voice, "BULBASAUR, THE SEED POKéMON. FOR SOME TIME AFTER ITS BIRTH, IT GROWS BY GAINING NOURISHMENT FROM THE SEED ON ITS BACK." He put it away and turned his attention back to the battle.

Chase let the other boy have the first turn. "Bulbasaur! Vine Whip!" the Trainer commanded. The green Pokémon released vines from the bulb on its back and whipped Pidgey, making it reel back.

"Pidgey! Tackle!"

The bird flew at Bulbasuar and hit it square in the face, and then Pidgey came back around, looking for another chance to strike. Bulbasaur regained its footing and grabbed Pidgey with a Vine Whip.

"Now squeeze it!" it's Trainer called. The Grass-, Poison-type began constricting Pidgey. "Throw it!" The Seed Pokémon did as its Trainer said.

"Pidgey!" Chase called. Pidgey hit the ground and slowly got up.

"Use Tackle, Bulbasuar!"

It ran at Pidgey while the Flying-type was still dazed. Chase watched as it drew near. Pidgey regained its wits and stood up, spreading its wings. It yelled its name and started flapping vigorously. The wind generated from this blew harder and harder, and before Bulbasaur knew it, the Grass-type was lifted into the air and tossed about. It landed on its back, unable to get to its feet.

"Wow, Pidgey! You learned Gust!" Chase cheered. "Now, use Tackle!"

Pidgey flew at the struggling opponent. Bulbasaur got up, but was met with a blow to the head. The Seed Pokémon fell, knocked out.

"Bulbasaur!" its Trainer called out in dismay. Upon returning Bulbasaur, he said, "You did great."

"That was a cool battle! My name is Chase!"

"Thank you. My name is Tyson," he replied. After talking with Chase for a little bit, he said, "I'll see you later. Good luck in your Gym battle."

"Thank you!"

Chase approached the heavy Gym doors, pulling them open slightly and was able to get in. It was very dark. As he walked farther into the room, the front doors closed with a bang. Chase whirled around in fright.

Chase turned to see a door open at the far end of the room. A figure stood there, silhouetted by the light streaming in behind him.

"Who are you?" the man called out.

"I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader!" Chase shouted back, his voice echoing. The lights came on and the man walked out to his side of the rocky battlefield.

"Another challenger, huh?"

"Yes. Are you the Gym Leader?"

"Yes, I am! The name's Flint, I'm the father of Brock, the last Gym Leader. He left to go on a journey, so I'm filling in."

Flint was tall, had graying, spiky brown hair, and was wearing a white muscle shirt with brown pants. He took out a Poké Ball and said, "So, what's your name, kid?"

"Chase!"

"Okay, Chase, let's get to it! How many Pokémon do you have?"

"I have three."

"Then I'll just use two. How does that sound?"

Chase was surprised. It didn't make sense that the Gym Leader would only use two Pokémon while the challenger used three.

Flint threw his Poké Ball into the air that released a stream of light. What took form was a Rock-type Pokémon named Geodude. It was gray in color, had two arms, and floated in the air. Knowing he didn't have any Pokémon that had a type advantage, Chase chose Pidgey, taking out his Pokédex to look up Geodude. The electronic encyclopedia turned on and said, "GEODUDE, THE ROCK POKéMON. MANY LIVE ON MOUNTAIN TRAILS AND REMAIN HALF BURIED WHILE KEEPING AN EYE ON CLIMBERS." After finishing, it turned off and Chase put it away.

The young Trainer released Pidgey and called, "Use Gust!"

The Normal-, Flying-type flapped its wings, making a strong gust of wind. Flint's Geodude crossed its arms to guard itself.

"Tackle!" Chase exclaimed. Pidgey flew up to the Rock-, Ground-type Pokémon and hit it, but the attack didn't seem to do very much damage.

"Use Tackle, Geodude!" Flint shouted to his Pokémon. Geodude put its arms on the ground and propelled itself at Pidgey. It hit the bird and Pidgey fell to the ground.

"Pidgey! Keep on tackling him!" Chase instructed.

The Tiny Bird Pokémon started ramming against Geodude. Flint didn't command his Pokémon to counter; he just watched Pidgey's attack starting to gain the advantage. "You can do it, Pidgey!" Chase encouraged his Pokémon.

The Tackles went on for a little while longer, but then Flint shouted a command, "Grab it!" Geodude obeyed and caught Pidgey by the leg. "Now!" Geodude threw Pidgey to the ground, then jumped on top of it's opponent. The Rock Pokémon casually rolled off; Pidgey was knocked out.

"No, Pidgey…" Chase said dejectedly. "You were great. Thank you."

Chase returned his Pokémon and took out another Poké Ball. "Go! Charmander!" he called. The Fire-type appeared, looking ready to fight. "Use Scratch!" Charmander ran up to the opponent and raked it with its claws, barely doing anything.

"Tackle!" Flint commanded. Geodude rolled up to Charmander and pinned it to the ground. Charmander opened its mouth to let out a cry, but instead, little embers were shot at Geodude. They hit and seemed to do more damage than Scratch.

"That's Ember!" Chase exclaimed. "Charmander! Use Ember again!"

The Fire-type started pelting Geodude with Ember attack after Ember attack. The Rock Pokémon tried to get away, but wasn't fast enough.

"Tackle!" Flint commanded firmly.

Geodude started to roll back towards Charmander. The Fire-type looked back at its Trainer to see him motioning to the wall. Charmander turned back around and readied itself. It grabbed Geodude when it was close enough and sent it in the direction of a wall. Flint's Pokémon crashed into the rock, unable to change its course in time.

"Ember!" Charmander fired one more shot of embers at the enemy, knocking Geodude out. "Yes! We did it, Charmander!"

"You're good, but can you handle _this_?" Flint asked while returning Geodude. He tossed another Poké Ball into the air. A very large Pokémon took form; many boulders made up its body. The Pokémon let out a roar that shook the entire room. "That's Onix. Do you think Charmander can defeat it?"

Chase pulled out his Pokédex once more and pointed it at the giant Pokémon in front of him. The small machine turned on and said, "ONIX, THE ROCK SNAKE POKéMON. WHEN IT TRAVELS UNDERGROUND, IT CAUSES RUMBLING AND TREMORS. IT CAN MOVE AT 50 MILES PER HOUR."

"Wow, it must be pretty strong," said Chase. "We'll have to give it all we've got! Charmander, use Ember!"

Charmander launched balls of fire at Onix. The Rock-, Ground-type didn't even flinch.

"Okay, Onix. Use your tail!" Flint shouted. Onix swung its tail around with great force. Charmander was caught off guard and was sent hurtling into the wall.

"Charmander!" Chase cried out in horror. A look of defeat appeared on his face. He looked on as the dust cleared and Charmander appeared, lying motionless on the ground. Chase brought out Charmander's Poké Ball and was about to return it when the little Fire-type got to its feet. Charmander walked back onto the battlefield, the look of determination in its eyes. "Charmander?" Chase called out. There was no response.

"That Pokémon is still conscious?" the Gym Leader said. "That's not possible! Onix, use your tail once more!" Onix flung its tail at Charmander again, the rocky extremity growing closer. Charmander only watched, focusing on a spot to hit. Its claws started to glow a bright white and Charmander raked its claws against Onix's tail just as it was about to hit. The Rock Snake Pokémon cried in pain and brought its tail back, trying to avoid any more damage. The room was filled with silence for a few seconds.

"Was that…Metal Claw?" Chase asked in amazement. Charmander looked back with a grin on its face.

Chase was dumbfounded. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, so Charmander took things into its own hands. It leaped forward as its claws started to glow again. Flint called to his Pokémon, "Bind!"

Onix grabbed Charmander with its tail and started to squeeze it. The Fire-type couldn't use Metal Claw at this point.

Chase finally grabbed a hold of reality and yelled, "Use Ember!" Charmander shot small balls of fire in Onix's face. The huge Pokémon recoiled and dropped Charmander. "Now use Metal Claw!" Charmander's claws glowed once more and it scratched Onix, and then continued pelting it with Ember.

By now, Flint was getting frustrated. "Hit it with your tail!" he called.

Onix quickly swung its tail around at Charmander like before. Chase's Pokémon tried to dodge, but was hit and flung into the wall again. This time, Charmander lay on the ground with swirls in its eyes, unconscious.

"No!" Chase shouted in agony. He turned silent for a moment before saying, "Return, Charmander. You did an awesome job. Thank you."

"So, what's your last Pokémon?" Flint asked from across the room. Chase took out his last Poké Ball. It contained Caterpie, his newest catch. He knew that Onix had sustained a heavy amount of damage, but doubted that the Bug-type Pokémon could finish the job. Chase had no other choice; Caterpie was all he had left.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Go! Caterpie!" Chase cried as he tossed the Bug-type's Poké Ball into the air. It released a white stream of light that transformed into a green Pokémon. Big, round, black eyes looked up at Onix.

"That's your last Pokémon?" Flint asked. "A Caterpie?" He burst out in laughter. Even Onix started giggling. Both Caterpie and Chase took offense to this.

"String Shot! " Chase shouted.

Caterpie launched a gooey string in Onix's face. The Rock-type Pokémon was still laughing, so it wasn't ready for the attack, and its sight was obscured.

"Onix! Use Tackle!" Flint commanded. Onix blindly lunged forward. It missed Caterpie and went head first into a rock.

"Keep using String Shot, Caterpie!" instructed Chase. The Worm Pokémon pelted the opponent, encasing it in a blanket of silk.

"Use Tackle!" Flint called desperately to Onix, who was finding it very hard to move. Chase's heart beat faster and faster with excitement. He was starting to believe Caterpie could win.

"Hit it with a thick String Shot!" he called. Caterpie shot a gooey rope at Onix, sticking to its chest. "Now, bring him down!"

Caterpie inched up a nearby rock to mount itself on, and then pulled on the rope. Onix fought hard to stay up right, but lost its balance and came crashing down. Caterpie ran as fast as it could to avoid being crushed by the falling Onix. The Rock-type lay on the ground, unable to battle.

Chase couldn't believe it. Caterpie ran towards Chase as he knelt down to hug the little Pokémon. Flint returned Onix and walked across the room, wearing a look of admiration his face.

"That was the best battle I've had in awhile. Your Caterpie is very strong. I've never seen anything like it in my life."

The Gym Leader reached into his pocket and pulled out a gray-colored button. "Here, you've earned this. It's the Boulder Badge." Flint smiled as Chase picked up the Badge and looked at it.

"Wow, thanks!" Chase was hesitant for moment, not knowing where to put his new Badge.

"Here, open your jacket and pin it inside." Chase followed his instructions and got it pinned in his jacket. "I don't know why more people don't wear them like that, it's pretty handy if you ask me. I only know one person who did that…" Flint thought for a moment. "If you're looking for another Gym, I'd recommend heading to Cerulean City. It's to the east of here."

"Okay, thanks." Chase shook the Gym Leader's hand and left. He headed to the Pokémon Center to heal everyone, and started on his way to Cerulean City.

Meanwhile, at a Sinnoh Region military base, the general there was giving two other high-ranking officers a tour. He had graying hair and wore a dark blue suit. "As you can see, gentlemen," he said, "this base is one of the most secure in the Sinnoh Region."

Outside, a Sinnoh Region military helicopter was coming in for a landing. Everything seemed normal and there was nothing suspicious about the aircraft. But, when the doors opened, a mob dressed in black came running out, firing their weapons. Each one had a big red "R" on their shirt. They tossed out Poké Balls that released big, light green, dinosaur-like Pokémon known as Tyranitar.

The sound of gunfire cut the general's tour short and someone came running around the corner.

"Sir!" a young man in his twenties exclaimed.

"Jason, report!"

"General, we are under attack," he said grimly. They ran down the hall and into the control room.

"Sir!" the man in charge said. "We have a small armed force attempting to gain access to the base."

Knowing what they might be here for, General Franklin told Jason to follow him out of the control room. Eventually, they reached a large, metal door. Franklin entered a password. Inside was a capsule-shaped container sitting on a pedestal.

Grabbing it, Franklin said firmly, "Take this!" He handed Jason the capsule-like container and continued, "I need you to get as far away from here as possible. Only come back when this threat is over."

"But, General—"

"That's an order. We'll be all right. That capsule is what they want."

"This?" Jason asked, holding up the container.

"Yes, now let's get you safely off the base!" Jason worked with the General to secretly get off the base; Franklin would go ahead and check around the each corner to see if it was clear. Once outside, Jason put the container in his backpack while reaching for a Poké Ball. It opened in his hand and a stream of white light solidified into a large Pokémon. It was blue in color with red wings and a gray stomach.

"Okay, Salamence, get us out of here!" he said, climbing on its back. Salamence flapped its wings and ascended into the sky.

Soon, they were far away from the base. Jason only wished that he could stay and defend the base alongside General Franklin. But, an order was an order, so he and Salamece flew south towards Hearthome City.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Use Ember!" Chase commanded. Charmander shot small flames at a Kakuna, which didn't stand a chance against the move and was knocked out immediately.

"No! My Kakuna!" said a boy wearing a straw hat. He ran up to the Cocoon Pokémon and returned it to its Poké Ball. "Well, that was a good battle."

"Thanks," Chase replied, smiling.

It was the next day. Chase was on his way down Route 3, and in front of him stood Mt. Moon. He ventured through the trees and made his way to the entrance of a cave going through the mountain.

Chase felt uneasy as he walked through the rocky tunnel; some of the rocks were actually Geodude that would reach out and try to trip him. After awhile, the light from the opening began to fade, leaving Chase in pitch-blackness. He released Charmander to help light the way with the fire on its tail.

The two walked down the weaving tunnel. Chase could tell that Charmander was nervous about being in this dark cave. Zubat would swoop down and scare the poor little Pokémon for fun. It would retaliate by shooting the Zubat with an Ember attack. Chase thought it was kind of funny.

Eventually, they came to a fork in the tunnel. There was a dim light coming from the left path, and Chase could hear faint voices coming from that direction. He and his Charmander went down the tunnel to investigate.

"What are we looking for again?" one voice asked.

"We're supposed to find a Moon Stone for the boss," the other answered. "But I still don't see why he would need it."

"Maybe he wants to evolve his Nidorino," the first voice joked.

By now, Chase was close enough to see that the light was coming from a lantern, and there were two men dressed in black in a carved-out room shoveling dirt.

"Yeah, exploit us grunts for his own gain," the second man snarled. He seemed to be the one in charge.

There was silence except for the sound of shoveling before the leader said, "You know, Team Rocket pulled something like this five years ago in this very mountain."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I was there. It was one of my first jobs with the team. And you know what happened?"

"No, what?"

"Some kid beat my Pokémon up, plus all the other's. That ruined the mission. Man, I hate kids." He put his shovel up and took a deep breath.

"Yeah, stupid kids…" the other agreed.

Chase leaned forward to get a better look, but lost his balance and fell, just missing Charmander. One of the Rockets was so surprised he almost hit himself with his shovel.

"Hey, what are _you_ doing here?" asked the leader.

"I was trying to take a shortcut through the mountain," Chase answered.

"Well, you won't be getting very far," he said, grabbing a Poké Ball.

The two Rocket members, not wanting to be exposed and deciding to capture Chase, released a Rattata and a Zubat. Chase grabbed one of his own Poké Balls and released Caterpie. "Use Ember, Charmander! Use String Shot, Caterpie!" he called.

Charmander shot balls of fire at the Bat Pokémon, grazing its wing. Caterpie sent gooey string flying towards Rattata, tying it up.

"Supersonic!" the Rocket leader called to his Zubat. It sent waves of sound at Charmander, confusing it and making it trip over rocks.

"Use Tackle, Rattata!" the other Rocket called. His Mouse Pokémon couldn't move very well.

"Tackle, Caterpie!" Chase called. It slammed itself into the struggling Rattata. "Now, use String Shot on Zubat!" The Bug-type shot at Zubat, catching it off guard. It fell to the ground, unable to fly.

Charmander snapped out of the trance it was in. "Ember!" said Chase. The Fire-type Pokémon shot more balls of fire at Zubat, knocking it out.

"Hyper Fang, Rattata!" the Rocket commanded. Rattata freed itself from the String Shot and lunged at Caterpie. The Bug-type couldn't do anything to guard itself with Rattata getting closer and closer. Thinking fast, Charmander jumped in front of Caterpie. Rattata was met with a Metal Claw to the face, and it fell to the ground, unconscious.

The two men returned their Pokémon. Out of frustration, the leader hit the wall with his shovel. A stone fell out of the rock there. It was dark gray and had a strange aura.

"Is that a Moon Stone?" the leader's partner asked.

"Just grab it and let's go!" he replied.

Picking it up, the two Rockets ran down the tunnel and disappeared.

"Nice job," Chase praised his Pokémon. He returned Caterpie, picked up the lantern the Rockets had left behind, and walked down the dark tunnel with Charmander in the lead.

Chase could hear the two Rockets tripping over rocks and yelling in pain. He could only smile. Charmander stayed alert for incoming Zubat as it happily walked along.

About fifteen minutes later, they could see the light at the end of the tunnel. It got closer and closer until they reached the exit. He let his eyes adjust to the sunlight and grabbed Charmander's Poké Ball, returning it, and started on his way down Route 4.

Chase arrived at Cerulean City and went inside the Pokémon Center. He approached the desk and was greeted by Nurse Joy, handing over his Pokémon to be healed and rented a room.

The Trainer went out and looked around the city for someplace to eat. He saw a big clock on a pole that said it was 6:45 P.M. Luckily, Chase found a hamburger place and had dinner. It was dark outside when he finished, so he walked to the Pokémon Center, into his room, and went to bed.

The next morning, after waking up and having breakfast, the first thing he wanted to do that day was to find the Cerulean Gym. Asking Nurse Joy for directions, he was quickly on his way.

The Gym was a large building with a domed roof and a Dewgong-shaped sign mounted on the front. Chase went inside the door and into a large room with a big pool in the middle. He saw a lot of water Pokémon playing in it. One of Chase's Poké Balls opened on his belt and released a stream of white light that caught him off guard.

Caterpie took form, inched its way towards the pool, and looked into the water. Perhaps it was thirsty. A Gyarados came rushing up to the surface to protect its territory. Not wanting to be lunch, Caterpie jumped behind Chase and tried to get back into its Poké Ball.

A girl came around the far end of the pool when she saw what happened; she was wearing a yellow-colored shirt, blue-colored shorts, and her orange hair was tied up in a ponytail on the side of her head.

"I'm sorry," the girl said, "did Gyarados scare you?"

Chase shook his head. "No, but it sure scared my Caterpie," he replied. It came out from behind Chase's leg and Misty screamed. "Calm down, what's the matter?"

"I just can't stand bug Pokémon!"

Chase took out his Poké Ball and returned Caterpie. "Sorry about that," he apologized. Misty regained her composure; the Gyarados had gone back into the water.

"It's okay," she said, taking a beep breath. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Misty, the Cerulean Gym Leader."

"I'm Chase! Could we have a battle, please?" he asked excitedly.

"Sure! The battlefield is right here!" Misty said as she ran to the opposite side of the pool, stopping in the box outlined by a white line.

"What?" Chase was very confused. All he could see were some floating platforms in the pool. "Do we fight on those?"

"Yes!" the Gym Leader answered.

"What about that Gyarados?" he called, stepping into his box.

"Oh, it won't bother us now that we're battling."

"Okay…" Chase agreed reluctantly.

"Just so you know, I'll be using two Pokémon!" Another Gym Leader only using two Pokémon, maybe it was standard to use only two against new Trainers.

Chase couldn't use Charmander and risk it falling into the water, so he would use Pidgey and Caterpie. "I choose you, Pidgey!" he exclaimed.

The Trainer tossed his Poké Ball into the air, and in a flash of white light, Pidgey took form. It fluttered above the water for a few seconds, and then landed on one of the white floating platforms.

"Okay, I'll use Staryu!"

Misty tossed her own Poké Ball into the air. It released a brown, star-shaped Pokémon with a red jewel in the middle of its body. It appeared in the water and did a back flip onto a platform.

Chase pulled out his Pokédex to see what it had to say. "STARYU, THE STAR SHAPE POKéMON. IF ITS BODY IS TORN, IT CAN GROW BACK IF THE RED CORE REMAINS. THE CORE FLASHES AT MIDNIGHT." It switched off and Chase put it away.

Misty let Chase have the first turn, and he called out, "Use Tackle!" Pidgey jumped in the air and flew towards Staryu.

"Use Water Gun, Staryu!" Misty commanded.

Staryu shot a stream of water at Pidgey. Thinking fast, the bird dove closer to the water's surface, dodging the attack. It rammed right into the starfish Pokémon, knocking it into the water. Pidgey flew back up, waiting for its next command.

"Rapid Spin!" Misty commanded. There was silence for a moment. Neither Pidgey nor Chase could see Staryu. Suddenly, it came spinning out of the water, headed right for Pidgey.

"Gust!" Chase shouted desperately. Pidgey began flapping its wings faster, but before the wind picked up, it was hit hard and fell into the water, unable to battle. Chase took out its Poké Ball and thanked Pidgey, having it return. Misty also took her Poké Ball out and returned Staryu.

"Great job, Staryu!" said Misty. She put the Poké Ball away and brought out another one. "Go! Corsola!"

What materialized was a pink-colored Pokémon. It had spikes coming off of its head and looked like it could be as hard as a rock. Chase grabbed his Pokédex again, and it said, "CORSOLA, THE CORAL POKéMON. MANY LIVE IN THE CLEAN SEAS OF THE SOUTH. THEY APPARENTLY CAN'T LIVE IN POLLUTED WATERS."

Putting the red device in his pocket, Chase thought, "Well, you took down that Onix at the Pewter Gym, right? Let's see if you can do it again!" He released his bug Pokémon while yelling, "Go! Caterpie!" After it materialized, he instructed, "Use String Shot!" Caterpie shot silk at the opponent; making it harder for the Water-, Rock-type to move. "Now use Tackle!" It obeyed and jumped from platform to platform to reach its opponent.

Misty instructed, "Use Pin Missile!" Corsola's horns on its head started to glow and shot small spikes at Caterpie, who jumped over the attack. "Keep going, Corsola!"

The Water-type Pokémon shot more spikes at Caterpie. The attack hit, and Chase's

Pokémon went flying into the water, knocked out. The boy thanked Caterpie and returned it.

"Return, Corsola. You did great!" Misty praised her Pokémon. Putting her Poké Ball away, she called to Chase, "Hey! After you train your Pokémon a little more, come back for a rematch!"

Chase answered, "Okay, thanks! I'll do that!"

He said goodbye, left the Gym, and began heading back to the Pokémon Center to rest his team.

Chase was walking down the street and thinking over what had just happened when he noticed an ad. "Nugget Bridge!" it read. "We're back to give you the chance of competing against our best Trainer to earn a Nugget! Located north of Cerulean City on Route 24!"

"That could be a good opportunity to train for the rematch!" Chase thought. He sprinted to the Pokémon Center and gave Nurse Joy Pidgey and Caterpie. After a short wait, Chase was called to the front desk and was given his Pokémon.

"Nurse Joy, what do you know about that Nugget Bridge challenge out on Route 24?" Chase asked.

"Well, Trainers go out there and host the competition every so often," she replied. "There was one a few years ago that wasn't very good, but since then a group of honest Trainers have been putting it on."

Chase thanked her and headed north to Route 24. Walking over a faded yellow bridge, he was deep in thought. Charmander had come out of its Poké Ball and was looking up at its Trainer with a concerned expression. It leaned into Chase's vision and smiled to try and get his attention.

"Yeah?" Chase asked. "Nothing's wrong." Charmander frowned. There was a moment of silence, then he said, "Okay, okay, I'm upset about losing to Misty."

Now Charmander was deep in thought. It wondered why Chase didn't give it a chance to fight in the Gym battle.

The Trainer spotted a man in a black coat, blue jeans, and wearing a hat. He walked up to the man, leaving Charmander behind. The Pokémon noticed its Trainer had gone on ahead and tried to catch up.

"Hello, are you part of the Nugget Bride challenge?" Chase asked. The man turned to face the boy, his hat blocking his face.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I am," he answered. Charmander waddled up and looked at him curiously. The man eyed Charmander for a second before looking back at Chase.

"Where are the rest of the Trainers?"

"I'm the only one here today."

"Oh, okay. Can we have a match?"

"Yes, we can."

"C'mon, Charmander," Chase signaled for his Pokémon to follow. He walked a good distance away, readying for the battle. Charmander took one more look at the man and walked over to Chase's side.

The boy took out Pidgey's Poké Ball, knowing that it needed training so it could stand up to Misty's Pokémon. He released his Flying-type, Pidgey fluttering above the ground as usual.

The man had grabbed one of his own Poké Balls. "Go! Zubat!" he yelled. His Poké Ball released a blue-colored bat like the one Chase saw at Mt. Moon.

"Use Tackle, Pidgey!"

"Use Supersonic!" the man commanded. Zubat launched waves of sound at Pidgey. The Tiny Bird Pokémon fell to the ground, confused. "Now use Leech Life!" Zubat showed its fangs and flew up to its opponent and bit down into its wing.

"Pidgey! Use Tackle!" Chase commanded, but the Flying-type just sat there.

"Now, use Bite!" exclaimed the man. Zubat showed its fangs even more menacingly.

"Pidgey!" Chase called franticly, knowing that bite could knock it out. Pidgey snapped out of its confusion at hearing its Trainer's pleading and noticed the bat was going to attack.

Pidgey thrust itself off the ground using its legs and flew away, leaving a trail of white light behind it. It came back around and hit Zubat head-on.

"That's Quick Attack!" Chase exclaimed. Charmander watched, its eyes trying to keep up with Pidgey's speed. The bird came back to Chase's side of the field and landed. Zubat lay on the ground, knocked out.

"Darn…" the older Trainer grumbled. "That's it! No more Mr. Nice Guy!" He reached for his belt, grabbed another Poké Ball, and tossed it into the air. The man smirked as it released a Pokémon with two large spikes for hands, big red eyes, and yellow skin. It was a Beedrill. Chase hurriedly took out his Pokédex again.

"BEEDRILL, THE POISON BEE POKéMON. ITS BEST ATTACK INVOLVES FLYING AROUND AT HIGH SPEED, STRIKING WITH POISON NEEDLES, THEN FLYING OFF."

The man was getting impatient. "Hey! Can we get on with it?" he shouted.

"Pidgey! Use Quick Attack!"

Pidgey sped towards the Bug-, Flying-type Pokémon. Just as it was about to hit, the opponent dodged. "Quick Attack again!" Pidgey flew at the Beedrill a second time, but the bug evaded Pidgey once more.

"Poison Sting!" the man called out. Beedrill shot purple spikes at Pidgey, knocking it to the ground. "Now! Twin Needle!" Two large needles were shot, hitting and doing heavy damage. Pidgey lay on the ground, motionless.

But, to everyone's surprise, Chase's Pokémon stood up. It was covered in a white light, and Pidgey grew bigger. When the glow faded, it had taken on a new look. On its head, there were red feathers, and on its tail, two red feathers and one yellow.

The bird jumped into the air and exclaimed, "Pidgeotto!"

"Okay, Pidgeotto! Use Gust!" Chase smiled. Pidgeotto flapped its wings and created a powerful gust of wind, doing great damage to Beedrill. "Now use Quick Attack!" Flying at a blinding speed, Pidgeotto tackled its foe. Beedrill fell to the ground with swirls in its eyes. Its Trainer returned Beedrill and threw down his hat in frustration.

"Here, take your stinking Nugget!" he shouted as he reached into his pocket and tossed a golden ball at Chase. The boy managed to catch it and placed it in his pocket.

The younger Trainer noticed the other looked familiar. Then, it hit Chase like a Cranidos; the man was the leader of the two Rockets that were at Mt. Moon.

Just then, a shout could be heard in the distance. Chase looked around to see a man running with a sack. Chasing him was a young man wearing a blue shirt and brown pants who had blond hair that he combed over to the side.

"Come back here, thief!" he called, but the man refused to halt. The Trainer Chase had just battled ran down the bridge after the other two.

Everything happened so fast; Chase was dumbfounded. After the three had disappeared, he returned Pidgeotto and walked down Route 25 with Charmander towards an open sea to continue his Pokémon training.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Charmander stood on a rock, looking out at the distance. It was enjoying the salty breeze coming in from the sea with its flame waving in the wind.

Chase sat on the ground nearby, watching. "Okay, how about we start training?" he asked. The Fire-type nodded in reply. It jumped off the rock and made its way into the clearing. Chase stood up and took out Pidgeotto's Poké Ball, tossing it into the air.

"All right, it's time to practice!" Chase called to his Flying-type. "Charmander, use Ember! Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack!"

The Lizard Pokémon shot little embers into the air. Pidgeotto skillfully dodged them with its Quick Attack, and then came in from the side. The Fire-type jumped out of the way and let loose some more embers, hitting Pidgeotto as it flew by. The Bird Pokémon made a sharp turn and used Tackle, then gained altitude to avoid being hit by any more attacks.

Charmander got up from the ground, positioned itself, then Chase called out, "Pidgeotto, use Gust!" The Flying-type Pokémon flapped its wings, creating a strong wind. Charmander stood firm, enjoying the breeze.

Pidgeotto shot forward with Quick Attack. Charmander's claws began to shine, and the Lizard Pokémon used Metal Claw. Pidgeotto reeled back after being scratched and flew away.

Both Pokémon were tired. Each looked back at the other, watching carefully. But, suddenly, a wind began to blow violently; Charmander and Pidgeotto looked around in surprise. Chase knew what was going to happen and ran towards his Pokémon. "Brace yourselves!" he cried. Chase knelt down and shielded his partners in his arms.

A Poliwag walked up a hill overlooking Route 25. The Water-type looked towards the faded yellow bridge people often walked across, and a house could be seen close to the beach far to the east. Down the hill in front of Poliwag were a Trainer and his Pokémon, Charmander and Pidgeotto.

Poliwag was blown around by the same gust Chase was. The next thing it knew, it was being lifted into the air by a massive shock wave. Poliwag cried out in horror as it plummeted back to earth.

"We made it, guys," Chase sighed with relief after the wind had dissipated. Then he heard a Pokémon's cry, and looking up, he saw Poliwag falling toward him. The round Pokémon bounced off Chase's head and rolled along the ground until coming to rest on its face.

"Whoa, a Poliwag!" Chase exclaimed as he pulled out his Pokédex and rubbed his head. He switched it on and pointed it at the Water-type.

"POLIWAG, THE TADPOLE POKéMON. ITS SKIN IS SO THIN, ITS INTERNAL ORGANS ARE VISABLE. IT HAS TROUBLE WALKING ON IT'S NEWLY GROWN FEET."

Poliwag, hearing this, was angered. It puffed itself up and released a wave of energy at Charmander. The Fire-type Pokémon became drowsy and fell on its stomach, holding its tail in the air and snoring loudly.

"Hey! You just put my friend to sleep!" Chase exclaimed. "Pidgeotto! Use Quick Attack on Poliwag!" Pidgeotto went zooming towards the ball-shaped Pokémon. It hit Poliwag dead on, sending the Water-type skidding across the ground, though Poliwag got up quickly. It shot a stream of water at Pidgeotto, but the bird dodged. "Use Gust!" Poliwag tried to stay standing, but was blown over. "Now Tackle!" Chase yelled, hoping it would finish the battle.

Pidgeotto flew at the Poliwag, who was still on its back, and slammed into it with great force. Pidgeotto returned to meet Chase as the Water-type Pokémon lay on the ground.

"Go! Poké Ball!"

Chase's Poké Ball flew through the air, hitting Poliwag's stomach, and dissolving it into red energy; the ball wiggled about with a red light flashing. Chase and Pidgeotto watched anxiously as Charmander snored and the Poké Ball continued to rock back and forth. Eventually, with a chime, Poliwag was caught.

"Yes, I caught a Poliwag!" Chase cheered. The young Trainer ran over and picked up his red and white sphere, saying, "Well, there aren't any Pokémon Centers nearby, so I hope Poliwag will be all right in its Poké Ball for now." Chase clipped Poliwag's ball onto his belt and looked over at Charmander, who was just waking up. "Hey, have a nice nap?" he asked. The Fire-type looked at Chase with half-open eyes and yawned. "Good." Chase turned to his trusty Bird Pokémon and said, "You did great, Pidgeotto. You've earned yourself a good rest."

After Pidgeotto was returned, Charmander stood up and shook its head to arouse its senses.

"Well, buddy, I caught a Poliwag," Chase commented. Charmander looked up at him, and smiled as it said its name. "I see a cabin up ahead," he observed. "Let's go see if we can rest there." Charmander nodded and waddled along with Chase.

The duo stepped onto the cabin's porch and Chase knocked; the door wasn't latched and swung open with a squeak.

They walked into a dimly lit living room. The only light came from the windows; papers littered the floor and boxes formed many tall towers. At the far end of the room were a couch and a television. To Chase's left was a desk with a computer on it. There was a door to his right, and in front of him was an Eevee. What happened next was unbelievable. The Eevee looked up at Chase and said, "Hey there!"

"W-what did you just say?" Chase questioned the little big-eared Pokémon.

"I said, hey there!" it replied. Chase began to back away, but Charmander walked up to the Evolution Pokémon to investigate.

"Char?" it asked. The Eevee didn't move, but there was the sound of stifled laughing coming from somewhere in the room. Charmander ran around, looking behind boxes and papers, then finally behind the couch.

"Aw, you found me," someone said. A figure rose up; it was a boy wearing a white shirt, a blue tie, and lime green-colored pants. He had curly brown hair and looked to be eighteen years old. "My Eevee really freaked you out, though!" The boy walked out from behind the couch and over to Chase. "My name's Bill." He reached out his hand; Chase hesitantly shook it.

"My name's Chase. But, I'm confused. What just happened?"

"Ha, well, you see…" Bill bent down to the floor, put his hands under Eevee's mane, and took off a collar with a speaker on it. "When I talk into my radio, it comes out the speaker and sounds like Eevee is the one talking," he explained, holding up his radio. "People come here all the time to see if they can stay in my guest room for the night, and I like to have a little fun with them."

"How did you come up with that idea?"

"It's a long story. But, anyway, did you happen to see a guy about my age around here? He's got blond hair and was wearing a blue shirt and brown pants. His name is Celio; he's a friend of mine. I just got home and he wasn't here."

"Yes, I think I did see him," answered Chase. "He was heading for Cerulean when I passed him."

By now, Charmander was starting to climb the largest pile of boxes. Eevee watched with big eyes; it had never seen a Pokémon try to conquer Mt. Office Supplies.

"Maybe he went to pick up some groceries," Bill suggested.

"He was following someone when I saw him, so I'm not exactly sure what he was doing."

"That is odd," Bill admitted. "How long ago was it?"

"Oh, about thirty minutes."

"Well, I hope he gets back soon."

Chase looked at all the computer equipment scattered about the floor. "So, what is it that you do, Bill?"

"Celio and I work with computers."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm the one who made the Pokémon Storage System. Ever wonder how your Pokémon are sent to Professor Oak in Kanto, or Professor Elm in Johto, and any of the other professors? That is done through my Storage System. Have you ever wondered how you can trade with people as far away as Hoenn? That is Celio's program."

"You did that? You guys must really know your stuff!"

Charmander was now on its way to the top of the mountain and skillfully dodged falling paperclips. Eevee marveled as the orange-colored Pokémon reached the top of the boxes and stood tall. It found a piece of paper lying on the box and folded it into a flag, placing it at the top.

"Hi, Charmander!" Chase exclaimed. He walked over to meet the mountain-climbing lizard. Charmander jumped into his arms, and Chase set it on the ground.

"That's a cool Charmander you have there," said Bill.

"Thanks. He _is_ pretty cool." Charmander posed proudly. "Okay, that's enough," Chase laughed.

"So, hey, are you looking for a place to stay for the night? I'm more than happy to let you rest here."

"Yeah, I need to let my newly-caught Poliwag recuperate."

"Great! If you want something to do, we can play on a game," Bill offered.

"All right. What do you have?"

"Super Smash Brothers Brawl," he answered.

Bill started the game and the two began playing; they both chose to play as Pokémon Trainer.

About ten minutes passed before Celio, wearing slightly bent glasses, walked through the door. He looked to be around twenty years old. Bill jumped from the couch to greet his friend.

"Hi, Celio! What happened?"

"Well, I had to stop a thief on my way back from town. I nailed him with a punch, but his partner grabbed my bag with some expensive tech in it and got away," Celio explained. "I tried going after them, but I lost their trail." Celio plopped down on the sofa and looked over at Chase suspiciously. "Didn't I see you back at Nugget Bridge?"

"Yes. It all happened so fast I didn't know what was going on. I'm sorry I didn't catch onto what was happening."

"That's okay. It isn't your fault you didn't know," Celio replied.

Later, Chase got settled into Bill's guest room. All of his Pokémon came out to stretch their legs, and soon, they were fast asleep.

Chase was woken from a deep sleep by loud snoring and felt something on his face. He opened his eyes only to see darkness. Chase sat up and brushed his face off. It was Caterpie, and it lay on the floor, still asleep.

The boy looked around the white-walled room. He saw Poliwag leaning up against a wall; Pidgeotto had made a nest out of Chase's clothes, and Charmander was on its stomach, face flat against the floor and tail raised high in the air.

He silently got out of bed, proceeding to walk out of the room. Chase turned a corner and went past a tower of boxes. He went into the kitchen where Bill and Celio were already making breakfast; Celio was wearing a pink apron while he cooked. Chase looked at Bill with half open eyes; the computer programmer picked up a bowl of cereal and handed it to Chase, saying, "Here, eat up."

"Thank you."

He ate his cereal quickly, wanting to get out and train some more for a rematch at Cerulean Gym. Then, a crowd of sleepy Pokémon walked into the room. It was then Bill proposed an interesting question.

"Chase, what would you say to having a Pokémon battle with me?"

"You want to have a battle?"

"Yes, how about a two-on-two? I have Eevee and another Pokémon. I really want to see how well they do in a match," Bill explained.

"Okay. But, I didn't think you were into training."

"Ha, I thought you were going to say that. Recently, I've wanted to get out there and actually train Pokémon instead of working all day on the computer or playing on the Pokémon video games. I want to see the world like so many other Trainers get to do." Bill stood up and walked out of the kitchen and into his room. When he returned, his belt held two Poké Balls. One was Eevee's, but Chase didn't know what Pokémon rested in the other. "So, how about it?"

Chase looked at his team. They were all ready to battle. "All right, let's go," he agreed.

Chase stood up from his chair and followed Bill outside. A cool breeze was blowing in off the sea, and the sound of waves crashing against the shore filled the air. The two Trainers walked out to a clearing where it was fit to do battle. Bill grabbed one of his Poké Balls off of his belt and held it in his hands confidently.

"Okay, pick one of your Pokémon, Chase!" Bill shouted.

Chase looked at his roster carefully, then looked back at Bill, having made his choice.

Giovanni was sitting in his office when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he said, annoyed. The door opened and a Team Rocket department head clad in black walked in.

"Giovanni, sir! The artifact our excavation team uncovered has arrived!"

"Very good. Have them bring it to me at once," Giovanni ordered, putting his hands together and resting them on his desk.

"Yes, sir!"

"Tell me, what is the progress on the new aircraft?"

"The chassis is halfway completed, and the engineers making the engines have worked out the problems with the ram air induction system."

"Good."

Giovanni spoke no more, signaling for the man to leave. He walked out, the sliding door closing behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7_

Another knock sounded on Giovanni's door. "Come in," he said. The steel door slid open; a boy around fourteen years of age was standing there. He was wearing a black jacket with red designs on it and indigo-colored pants, black boots, and had red, shoulder-length hair; his face resembled Giovanni's.

"Hello, Father," the boy said. Giovanni put down the stack of reports he was going over and looked at his son.

"Yes? What is it, Silver? Shouldn't you be training for your first mission?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. You see—"

"You are looking for professional instruction," Giovanni interjected. Silver nodded in reply.

The redheaded boy felt nervous being in the same room as Giovanni, but couldn't deny his experience as a Gym Leader. For Silver to improve, he wanted his father's help.

Giovanni let out a sigh and said, "Very well, I will see to your training personally. But, you must understand my sessions with you won't be that frequent."

"Thank you, Father. I appreciate whatever time you can spare."

Giovanni's willingness to help caught Silver by surprise, for his father had never taken any interest in him.

Giovanni looked at another report and noticed something that intrigued him. "What is this?" he said.

"What is it, Father?" Silver asked.

"Nothing of your concern. Go to the training room and prepare; I will have some time when I am finished here." Falling silent, he began to look over the paperwork again.

"Yes, Father."

Silver turned and walked out through the sliding metal door. It closed behind him with a thud. Giovanni sat in his chair and put the report down on his desk.

"The plan is moving along as expected," the man said.

Silver strolled down the main hallway with his hands in his pockets as many Team Rocket members and scientists walked past him. The boy was reflecting on everything that had happened that past year. After his journey in the Johto Region, Silver set out with a much larger goal in mind: to find his father.

Before, Silver had always determined a Pokémon's strength by how many times they won a battle, but now he had matured to a more sophisticated understanding, and had built a strong bond with his teammates.

A lot had happened in his search for his missing father; he met many people and Pokémon and learned new techniques along the way. Silver had adventured all around when, one day, he stumbled upon a Team Rocket base hidden up in the mountains dividing the Kanto and Johto Regions. He presented himself to the guards at the gate, and they brought him before Giovanni. Silver's father took him in and allowed him to stay at the base.

Silver continued down the hallway, not paying attention to his surroundings, and bumped into a short, elderly man.

"I'm terribly sorry," said the funny little scientist.

"No, I'm sorry," insisted Silver. "Hey, wait a second…" There was something familiar about him. The little man glared at Silver, his eyes seeming like daggers from behind his rectangular glasses that rested on his long, bulbous nose. He had thinning, light purple hair, and wore a long lab coat that almost seemed too big for him. "You're that scientist I met back in Johto!" Silver exclaimed.

"What? You must be mistaken!" the man defended himself in a scratchy voice.

"Yes, you are! You're Anthony Nelson!"

On Silver's journey, he had been exploring the Lake of Rage in hopes of finding his father; he knew Team Rocket had many research facilities in that area, but some of them were deserted.

He entered a building through a squeaky door; the few other buildings he had found were all locked. The floor of the hallway looked dirty, and the wallpaper was torn in places. Perhaps this place really was abandoned. But still, Silver had to look for clues to his father's whereabouts, so he slowly made his way down the long, dark hall with only moonlight coming in from the door to light the way.

It was quiet except for the sound of Silver's footsteps, and as the Trainer continued deeper into the building, he had to rely on his flashlight to guide him. Out of the darkness came a voice, startling Silver. It was coming from a room close by. Whoever it was, he seemed upset.

Silver crept into the room, shining his light around. The beam fell upon a short figure holding a small flashlight. The old man yelped in shock. He flipped the breaker switch and the lights came on. Now Silver could see the elderly man in front of him was dressed in a lab coat and had rectangular glasses.

"Who are you?" asked the scientist. "Why are you here?"

"My name is Silver, I am Giovanni's son," he replied, knowing this man was with Team Rocket.

"Ah, I've heard of you."

"Why are you here all alone?" Silver asked.

"I have been working on an old project set up by Giovanni. How did you manage to get in here?"

"The front door was open."

"Oh. Well, how did you find this place?"

"I've been to the abandoned Team Rocket base in Mahogany Town. That's where I learned the location of this facility. But, I can't imagine why you would be working here by yourself. Where's Security?"

"There used to be more personnel here, but they were reassigned to other projects. I am all that's left; this project has all but been forgotten."

"Tell me, what is it that you are researching?"

"That is confidential, young man."

"Fine. At least tell me what you know of my father's whereabouts."

"I'm afraid I have not been in direct contact with Giovanni for quite some time. I do not know where he is."

"All right, thank you. If you don't mind me staying here for the night, I'll be on my way first thing in the morning."

"Not at all. Just do not get in my way."

The Rocket scientist walked out of the breaker room, but Silver stopped him, asking: "What is your name?"

"Anthony Nelson," he answered.

"Nice to meet you," Silver said politely, extending his hand. The purple-haired man hesitantly shook it in response, then Nelson continued down the hallway with Silver following. "Why were the lights out?"

"The main breaker tripped," explained Anthony. "You must have come in during the power outage, that's why the alarm didn't sound."

"I suppose so…" Silver looked at the walls again. They weren't as messy like the ones up front. "How long have you been working on this project?"

"Oh, for quite a while."

Silver and the professor didn't speak after that. The redhead followed Nelson into his laboratory, where many machines were lined up against the walls, and there was a large table in the middle of the room with books and papers spread about.

One machine caught Silver's attention. It was a cylinder-shaped container with metal shutters around it, used to cover whatever was inside. A control panel was connected to the front of it.

"I will allow you to observe, Silver," said Anthony, "but do not mess with any of my equipment." Silver nodded in response, and the scientist sat down, looking at his research on the table.

The young Pokémon Trainer casually looked around the room. Maybe there were traces of Giovanni that Nelson hadn't mentioned. Silver looked about a few drawers discreetly, finally finding a document entitled: "Project Re-Cloning." He looked over his shoulder at the long-nosed man, who was still preoccupied with his work, then opened the document. It read: "With the loss of our crowning achievement, the cloned Pokémon Mewtwo, this project has been set up to duplicate it."

Silver put the document away and closed the drawer. He thought, "So that's what he's up to."

It was then that Anthony stood up and approached the metal container. Silver walked up behind the elderly man and said, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, please leave me be," insisted Nelson.

Anthony walked over to a cabinet, put on a pair of plastic gloves, and took a glass beaker from inside. As he made his way back, Nelson stumbled. Silver braced the purple-haired scientist just in time.

"Thank you," Nelson sighed with relief.

"You're welcome," Silver replied.

Anthony entered a command into the machine and a small compartment opened to place the glass into. Closing the door, he punched in another command and sat down at the table, little did he know one of Silver's hairs had found its way inside the beaker.

Nelson watched the cylinder intently, almost seeming impatient. Silver sat down and watched the machine to see what was going to happen. This machine was a product of the scientist's own research, and it worked extremely fast and efficiently.

It was getting very late, but Silver was still watching as the scientist worked. He was trying his best to stay awake, but was starting to nod off. Nelson was used to staying up late. Though, his experiment had been uneventful until the lights started to flicker.

"Don't tell me its happening again?!" Nelson exclaimed. He got up and walked to his machine. No, something was different. In the past, the experiment would have failed by now. Could it have finally been successful?

Silver could see the excitement in the professor's eyes as the lights dimmed on and off. But he couldn't help but feel like there was an eerie presence.

The room filled with a light blue glow, and circuits started to blow out rapidly on the other machines. Bewildered, Silver jumped up and asked, "What's happening?"

"I don't know!" Nelson replied.

Finally, the light blue energy surrounded the cylinder and slowly ripped it apart. This caused a short in the wiring and the control panel exploded. The small scientist and Silver shielded their eyes as they were blown back. Smoke rose from the mangled machinery as the emergency lights kicked on.

In the dim lighting, Silver could see a figure emerge, and felt fear coursing through his body. Nelson was completely stunned by what had happened.

Without warning, the strange figure pinned Silver to the floor with psychic energy. It looked down at the boy with intrigue, sensing a connection to him.

"Nelson, help me!" Silver cried. But the old man stood petrified. Next, the psychic picked Silver up and flung him through the open door, out into the hall.

Anthony ran past the figure to escape. This took the psychic's concentration off the red-haired boy, and Silver watched as Nelson made a break for one of the exits.

Following the scientist's example, Silver dashed down the hall and made his way out the front door. Anthony was nowhere in sight. Fearing another encounter with the clone, Silver ran along the shoreline of the lake, heading south towards Mahogany Town.

Thoughts of the event raced through Silver's mind. His heart beat quickly, and his palms were sweaty. Did Silver's presence affect the outcome of Anthony Nelson's experiment? What exactly was it that attacked him? Was it really Mewtwo? All Silver knew was he had to get away.

"When we first met, you left me alone with your experiment, coward!" Silver growled. "Cloning is wrong! You saw first hand what the consequences are! Now, what happened to that monster?"

Nelson stammered, "I-I don't know! When I returned to the lab, it was gone!"

Silver's fists were clenched in rage, but he got a hold of himself. He brushed by the professor and walked down the hallway towards the training room, leaving Nelson in the middle of the hallway with people staring at him.

Anthony scowled and whispered, "You will not make a fool out of me!"


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

Jason walked down a weathered dirt road, tired from being chased by the men in black. Over the past couple of days, he had been followed from Hearthome City down to Oreburgh City, where he took part in a fierce air battle. The combatants were Jason and his Salamence against a Team Rocket member riding on a Flygon.

The midday sky of the mining community was filled by one Flamethrower after another, followed by many other attacks. Jason won when his Salamence used a well-executed Dragon Claw, resulting in the Flygon losing consciousness and plummeting to earth. Of course, the man in black was all right; he had a parachute. Afterwards, Jason flew to Jubilife City where he continued south on foot.

He was just now reaching Sandgem Town. A Pokémon Center and a Poké Mart were on either side of the dusty street. Jason paid each a visit to restock his supplies and to heal his Pokémon.

Entering the Center, Jason asked Nurse Joy, "Would you please heal my Salamence?"

"Why, of course, sir," she replied. Nurse Joy took Salamence's Poké Ball and said reassuringly, "Your Pokémon will be as good as new. You can come back later to pick it up."

"Thank you," he replied.

Jason looked around the room; the lobby's walls were painted light yellow, and a gold and silver-colored Poké Ball was made up of tiles on the ground in front of the desk.

Stepping outside to wait, Jason shielded his eyes from the sun. He really needed to get a hat to go along with his combat boots, army green-colored pants, white shirt, and camouflage backpack.

He walked around and gazed up the street to see a research facility, but he was startled when a sneeze rung out from somewhere. Glancing around, he saw a man in black rise up out of a bush nearby, blowing his nose. "What took you so long?" he moaned.

"When will you guys learn?" exclaimed Jason.

The Rocket sniffed and said, "Hand over the artifact!" He released the Grass- and Poison-type Pokémon, Venusaur, which materialized behind Jason and shook the large flower that rested on its back to show it was ready to battle.

The wind blew Venusaur's pollen into its Trainer's face, making him sneeze. The Seed Pokémon looked over at him and made a face that seemed to say, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"

Jason started to feel this guy wasn't the most competent criminal and quipped, "You make quite a pair!"

"Very funny, but you won't be laughing after we defeat you."

"Yeah?" Jason replied. He looked down at his blue wristwatch, known as a Pokétch; it scanned the Pokémon, and showed that Venusaur was level 63. Jason took a Poké Ball from his belt and released a Houndoom.

"Venusaur, use Razor Leaf!" the man ordered.

The Grass-, Poison-type lifted the leaves on its back, releasing smaller, much sharper leaves flying at its opponent.

"Flamethrower," Jason instructed calmly.

Houndoom opened its mouth and shot a focused stream of fire at the Razor Leaves. It burned them to a crisp and carried on to hit Venusaur directly; the dinosaur-like Pokémon collapsed on the ground from the intense heat.

"No!" the man in black cried. Sneezing, he returned his Grass-type.

After the Rocket's Venusaur had disappeared, Jason's Pokétch changed its screen to read: "Level 98."

"If you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way," said Jason.

"No you don't! Go, Lickilicky!" This time, a rotund, pink-colored Pokémon materialized. It had a pattern on its chest that looked like a bib, and it had a very long tongue that stuck out of its mouth. Looking down at his Pokétch, Jason learned that the Normal-type was level 51. "Use Lick!"

The Licking Pokémon ran towards Houndoom. Thinking fast, Jason exclaimed, "Use Faint Attack!"

Houndoom started to fade in and out, then completely disappeared. Lickilicky stumbled in surprise and accidentally licked Jason. The Pokémon then looked around to see where its adversary went. Houndoom suddenly reappeared and slammed into Lickilicky, making it fall on its back.

"Thanks, Houndoom," said Jason as he wiped slobber from his face.

"Use Rollout, Lickilicky!"

The Normal-type stopped squirming and began spinning like a top, using this momentum to get to its feet. Next, it jumped in the air and curled up into a ball, landed, and rolled toward Houndoom.

"Faint Attack!"

The Dark Pokémon faded away again, Lickilicky just barely missing it. Houndoom reappeared and sent Lickilicky rolling in another direction. It kept doing this, making a game similar to pinball out of it. Eventually, Lickilicky stopped itself and stood up, dizzy.

"That's it!" the man shouted. "Use Hyper Beam!"

The Licking Pokémon retracted its tongue and opened its mouth, creating a ball of orange energy that grew larger as it charged.

Jason smiled wryly and ordered, "Use Flamethrower!"

The Fire-, Dark-type shot another powerful stream of fire from its mouth. The flames hit the enemy before it had a chance to launch its Hyper Beam. Houndoom increased the ferocity of its attack, the fire deflecting off Lickilicky's belly in ribbons. Finally, Houndoom's Flamethrower dwindled, leaving a charred Normal-type on the ground.

"Lickilicky!" its Trainer cried in dismay. He forlornly returned it to its Poké Ball.

"So, do you have any other Pokémon?" Jason teased.

"One, but it's not going to fight that monster!" the Rocket responded. He grabbed another Poké Ball, released a Pidgeot, and climbed on its back. Within seconds, they were airborne, flying to the north.

"Great job, buddy," Jason congratulated his partner. "All that special training did the trick." He patted the dog-like Pokémon on the head in-between its horns. Houndoom walked off proudly while holding its head high in the air. "Hey now, don't get _too_ full of yourself." The Dark-type looked back at Jason with a grin, then plopped to the ground on its belly with its legs sprawled out. "All right you ham, come on."

Both of them entered the Pokémon Center to see Nurse Joy at the counter. "Ah, there you are. Your Salamence is fully healed now," she said.

"Thank you," replied Jason.

Handing him Salamence's Poké Ball, she inquired, "Does your Houndoom need any care?"

"This guy? Nah, he's as tough as nails. He's so strong, he's going to go without dinner tonight," he joked. Houndoom glared at him.

"I was just curious," Joy giggled. "Have a nice day!"

"You too!"

Jason returned his Dark Pokémon and minimized its Poké Ball, placing it back on his belt. He exited the building and walked down the road leading to the beach. He passed many houses, and saw people on their porches or grilling on their barbecues. He smiled as he walked by.

Finally, he reached the sandy beach of Sandgem Town. Wingull and Pelipper flew above as Jason stood on the soft sand. He gazed across the water and saw the northern coast of Honshu. Jason took Salamence's Poké Ball and opened it in his hand. The Dragon Pokémon took form and looked at its Trainer expectantly.

"I hope you're ready. If we want to get away from those kooks in black, we'll need to head to a far away region. Do you see the coast across from us?" Jason pointed to the horizon while Salamence looked on. "That's where we need to go. Can you handle that?" Salamence nodded, saying it could get the job done. "Great! When we get across the water, we can rest before continuing on." He hopped up on his Dragon-, Flying-type Pokémon's back, and Salamence flew over the waves. "Next destination, the Kanto Region."


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9_

"I choose you, Charmander!" Chase cried. The small, orange-colored Pokémon scurried out onto the grassy battlefield. It began stretching and touched its toes. Bill smiled as he pushed some of his curly brown hair out of his face and grasped a Poké Ball in his hand.

"All right, here I go!" Bill called. "I choose you, Abra!" He chucked the ball into the air and it released a white stream of light. The Pokémon that took form was yellow in color and had what looked like brown armor on its chest, and its eyes were closed shut.

Charmander finished its warm-ups and readied itself for battle, but Chase said, "Isn't your Pokémon asleep?"

"No, it only seems like it's asleep," answered Bill. "Trust me, it's wide awake." Then Abra fell on its side. "Okay, fine, it's asleep. Come on, Abra, wake up!" But try as he might, Bill could not wake the sleeping Pokémon.

"Um, so, does Charmander win?"

"No, you see, Abra may be asleep, but it can still attack."

"Really? Like that thing could attack Charmander." Abra let out a murmur, and blue energy shrouded Charmander. It was lifted off of the ground and began to struggle to get back down. The Lizard Pokémon looked back at its Trainer with a worried look on its face. Bill smiled, and Abra flung Charmander across the field. Thankfully, its tail did not ignite a single blade of grass. The sleeping Abra then, somehow, sat up straight again. Charmander collected itself and got to its feet.

"Charmander, use Ember!" The Fire-type launched red flames at Abra. The Psychic-type caught the embers in its psychic blue energy, and reflected them back at Charmander. It began dodging them by making very exaggerated hops, jumps, and flips. After the attack was finished, Abra fell back on its side. Chase called, "Use Metal Claw!" Charmander bounded up to Abra with its claws glowing white. It made a little jump to get more momentum, but was stopped in midair, surrounded in blue energy again. It squirmed for a little bit before being tossed backwards. "Metal Claw again!" Charmander stood up and ran back to Abra with its claws shining. It repeated what it had done before, was caught in blue energy, and thrown to Abra's left. Chase watched as Charmander swiftly got back up and attempted another Metal Claw, but was met with yet another psychic attack, and was thrown to Abra's right. It ran back once again, this time, its claws dimmed and returned to normal.

Charmander jumped over the Psi Pokémon, but was caught by its power. Without hesitation, the Lizard Pokémon let loose a flurry of embers. Abra was hit; Charmander was freed from the psychic's grip and it landed gracefully on the ground. Abra, awake now, looked around frantically with its eyes still squinted. This gave Charmander the opening it needed. With determination, it hit its foe with another Ember attack, and followed it up with a Metal Claw in the form of an uppercut. Abra fell to the ground, knocked out. Bill looked on in disbelief. Chase, with a hardy cheer, celebrated Charmander's accomplishment. The little Pokémon walked triumphantly back over to Chase as Bill returned his unconscious Abra.

"You did a great job," Chase said to Charmander. He took out its Poké Ball and returned it.

"Which Pokémon are you going to use now, Chase?" Bill asked while he reached for his other Poké Ball.

Chase thought for a second. He knew that Caterpie needed more training; so choosing it would be best. He reached for his belt when a bright flash of white light burst out. The stream of energy arched and hit the ground, and Chase's newly caught Poliwag took the field. "Poliwag?" Chase said, unsure of what had happened.

"I choose you, Eevee!" Bill announced, and he tossed his red and white ball in the air, the small Normal-type taking shape. "Tackle!" Eevee ran towards Poliwag and tackled it square in the stomach, sending it rolling into a nearby rock.

The Tadpole Pokémon stood up and shot off a Bubble attack. Eevee just evaded them. But, as they popped, the bubbles emitted bright flashes of light, momentarily blinding Bill's Evolution Pokémon.

"Use Bubble again, Poliwag!" Chase instructed. This time, Eevee couldn't dodge the bubbles and was hurt. It shook the water from its fur and waited for another command. Bill commanded it to use Tackle, but as Eevee was about to ram Poliwag, Chase called out, "Use Hypnosis!" The tadpole obeyed and shot waves of psychic energy from its stomach. This caught Eevee off guard, and it fell to the ground, asleep.

"Come on, Eevee, wake up!" Bill pleaded. But his Pokémon just lay on the ground with its eyes closed. Poliwag felt it had the upper hand and ran up to Eevee to use the move Double Slap. It repeatedly whacked the Normal-type with its tail, tossing it around quite a bit. After Poliwag was finished, Eevee slowly rose to its feet. Bill called out, "Use Tackle!" Poliwag turned tail and attempted to run as Eevee bounded up behind it. The Water-type Pokémon was nailed in the back despite this, and fell to the ground, knocked out. Chase ran out onto the field and picked up Poliwag in his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked. His Pokémon had already regained consciousness and nodded. Chase smiled. "You did a great job. You're pretty strong." Upon hearing this, Poliwag beamed, knowing it had found a friend. Chase pulled out Poliwag's Poké Ball and returned it for a well-earned rest, then stood up to congratulate Bill for a splendid battle.

"Thanks for the match!" Chase exclaimed while shaking Bill's hand. "I really enjoyed it."

"I think the Pokémon enjoyed the battle, too." Bill looked at Eevee, who had sat down next to his feet. "So, where are you headed next, Chase?"

"The Cerulean Gym. I think my Pokémon and I can handle it this time," Chase replied. "How about you?"

"I'll be starting that journey of mine like I said. I'll be off once I have all my things packed and ready."

"Okay. What about Celio?"

Celio was transfixed on his laptop. He had a camcorder hooked up to it, having recorded the battle.

"He's going to head back to his home on One Island," Bill explained. "After having set up the Global Trade Station, he wants to relax a little bit. To think a project of Celio's to allow people to trade over longer distances would turn into something as colossal as the GTS, letting people from all around the world to trade with each other."

"Yeah, it still amazes me how you two have come up with these advances."

"Hey, we're just doing what we love."

So, after getting all set, Chase said goodbye to Bill and Celio, and headed back for Cerulean City with Charmander in tow.

It was about noon by the time he made it back to Cerulean. He stopped at a hamburger joint and got something to eat, and then headed to the local Poké Mart to restock his supplies and food for his Pokémon. Then, Chase headed to the Cerulean Gym.

He walked down the street toward the large building with a Dewgong sign on it, entering through the doors into the main room. Chase was looking for Misty when a bright flash of light came from his belt. The Pokémon that took form this time was none other than Caterpie, and it joyfully made its way towards the pool. When it got to the water's edge, Caterpie heard a deep growl. The caterpillar froze in its tracks, and then quickly backed away. Chase couldn't help but laugh. Caterpie was now at Chase's feet, trying to climb up his leg. It reached his head and clamped on, shivering in fear.

Misty came in from another doorway, smiling. "Hello, Chase. You're back for that rematch, I take it," she said.

"Yes. I think we're ready this time," Chase responded.

Misty noticed the quivering Bug-type Pokémon on Chase's head and shrieked, running to hide on the other side of the door. Chase grabbed Caterpie's Poké Ball and returned it.

"I returned Caterpie! You can come out now!" Chase called. Misty cautiously walked back in the room, looking rather embarrassed.

"Sorry about that," she apologized.

"It's okay. So, can we have a battle now?"

"Sure." The two walked into the poolroom; the Gym Leader stood on the far right of the pool while Chase was on the left side. "Ready?"

"Yeah! Come on out, Caterpie!" Chase shouted, and the Worm Pokémon formed on the floating platform in front of its Trainer.

"Are you trying to freak me out?"

"What?" Chase responded nervously.

"Just kidding! Go, Staryu!" The Star Shaped Pokémon appeared and landed on the platform in front of Misty. "Chase, you can have the first move!"

"Thanks! Caterpie, use String Shot!"

The Bug-type shot a spray of string at Staryu. Before Chase could tell Caterpie what to do next, Misty ordered, "Use Rapid Spin!"

Staryu jumped in the air and started to spin, freeing itself from the silk. It flew over to Caterpie and knocked it into the water. Staryu gracefully landed on its platform as Caterpie surfaced.

Chase's Pokémon swam to the nearest platform and climbed onto it. "Use String Shot again!" the Trainer called. Caterpie shot out more string; the silk covered Staryu, preventing it from moving. Then, Caterpie used Tackle, sending Misty's Water-type into the pool. Staryu jumped high out of the water with a spin and landed in front of its opponent.

"Water Gun!" Misty commanded. It shot a powerful stream of water at Caterpie. The bug hurtled into the side of an adjacent platform and bounced into the pool, knocked out. Chase glumly returned Caterpie and pulled out another Poké Ball. He chucked it in the air, releasing Pidgeotto, who gracefully landed on its platform.

"Pidgeotto, use Gust!" Chase instructed. The Flying-type created a powerful air current that buffeted Staryu. "Quick Attack!" Pidgeotto stopped flapping its wings and flew at a blinding speed toward its foe. Staryu was hit head on, being knocked into the water, unconscious. Chase's Pokémon doubled back to its side of the battlefield while Misty returned her fallen star. She grabbed another Poké Ball and tossed it into the air, releasing the pink-colored, Water-, Rock-type Pokémon, Corsola.

"Use Pin Missile!" Misty called to her Coral Pokémon. The pink spines on its back began to glow white and shot many small needles at Pidgeotto.

"Dodge!" Chase cried. The Bird Pokémon flew around the room, evading the tiny missiles, and then went into a Quick Attack. It slammed into Corsola's side, sending the Water-type sprawling into the water. Pidgeotto began circling overhead like a vulture, but suddenly, glowing spikes shot out from the surface. Chase's Pokémon was caught off guard, and was pelted over and over with Pin Missile. Corsola hopped back onto one of the floating platforms as Pideotto stabilized itself.

"Nice job, Corsola!" Misty cheered.

"Pidgeotto, use Gust once more!" A strong wind picked up and blew Corsola around its platform. "Now, Quick Attack!" The Bird Pokémon flew at Corsola and hit it. The blow sent it flying into the water once again.

"Spike Cannon!" Misty shouted. Very large, white spikes were shot out at Corsola's opponent. Pidgeotto immediately started dodging the attack. Some of the spikes grazed its wing, so it had to make an emergency landing on one of the platforms.

"Tackle!" Misty commanded. Corsola blasted out of the water and hit Pidgeotto, knocking it out.

Chase returned his Flying-type and thought to himself, "Poliwag might not get the job done. It couldn't stand up to Bill's Eevee earlier, and then Charmander… If it fell in the water, well…" He looked down at his feet, then looked back at Misty's Corsoal and held Poliwag's ball. Before he could release it, there was another bright flash of light from his belt, and Charmander took the stage. The small Lizard Pokémon confidently looked back at its Trainer; then, without any instruction, Charmander leaped from platform to platform, its claws glowing white.

"Spike Cannon!" Misty cried. Corsola's spikes on its back lit up again, and it shot huge spikes at the Fire-type. Charmander dodged by weaving in-between the missiles; with one last jump, it slugged Corsola with a super effective hit, knocking the Coral Pokémon out. Despite having lost, Misty returned her Corsola with a smile.

"Wow," Misty thought. "That was pretty surprising. That Charmander's gifted." She watched Charmander hop back across the platforms; Chase knelt down and held his arms out and caught Charmander, giving it a big hug.

"You were great, buddy!" the boy praised his Pokémon while pulling out its Poké Ball. "You've earned yourself a good rest."

Chase met Misty by the door to the foyer. The redheaded Gym Leader reached into her pocket and pulled out a blue water drop-shaped badge. As Misty handed it to the younger Trainer, she said, "Congratulations, Chase. You've earned the Cascade Badge."

Smiling, he replied, "Thank you. Now, to put my new Badge where it belongs." Chase opened the left side of his jacket to reveal the Bolder Badge pinned inside, then pinned his Cascade Badge next to it. Misty was surprised when she saw this.

"You remind me of someone I know," she said.

"Really? Who is it?" Chase asked.

"A good friend of mine." Misty turned to face the door and said, "If you're wondering, the nearest Gym would be in Saffron City. You can go there by heading south from here."

"Thank you. I'll head there next."

Chase said goodbye, exited the building, and headed to the Pokémon Center, deciding to leave first thing in the morning. He had his Pokémon healed and retired to his room for a well-earned rest.

* * *

**Author's Note:** At one time, I was inspired to write a short story similar to the mini movies featured in some of the Pokémon films. It takes place in-between when Chase left Bill's house and before he returned to the Cerulean Gym.

* * *

_Westermeister presents…_

**A "Pokémon: The Chase for a Hero" short story!**

_A Chance Encounter_

Upon leaving Bill's house, Chase continued his journey down Route 25. Finding a nice tree to sit under, our hero reached for his belt and grabbed four Poké Balls. In one good toss, he threw them high in the air. Each popped open, releasing Charmander, Pidgeotto, Caterpie, and Poliwag.

"You all can go and get some exercise while I think about what to do at the Cerulean Gym," Chase said. "Now, go have some fun!" With that, the four Pokémon ran off toward the woods. "Be careful, stay close, and don't get lost!" Charmander and the others turned and waved to Chase, then disappeared through the trees.

They reached a large clearing, perfect for playing; Caterpie, Poliwag, and Charmander ran out into the middle while Pidgeotto sat in a tree to rest.

As the three were playfully bumping into each other, Caterpie shot off some String Shots. The other two dodged them as if it were a game. Poliwag was nailed right in the mouth; Charmander and Caterpie crowded around the Water-type to see if it was okay.

Poliwag used a Bubble attack, freeing its mouth from the sticky film. The bubbles glistened in the sunlight, all three Pokémon admiring them. Once they popped, Poliwag jumped up and down in excitement and fired off some more. They sparkled like before, but popped above Charmander. The Fire-type jerked away while clutching its tail tightly, then sighing in relief that nothing had happened to its flame.

The three heard a rustling noise and looked around. They saw bushes and tree branches being pushed out of the way as something emerged from the forest. Charmander took up a fighting stance, Caterpie did the same, Poliwag looked on from behind the two, and Pidgeotto snored peacefully on top of its branch.

Through the brush came a group of Pokémon. The first was a Poliwrath, a Water-type Pokémon and one of the evolved forms of Poliwag. The second was a Beedrill, a yellow and black-striped Bug-type. The third was a Fearow, which had brown feathers and a long beak. They were having an entertaining conversation, but quickly quieted down when they saw Charmander and friends.

The newcomers walked up and faced the others. The smaller Pokémon were a little intimidated by this, but they held their ground. Caterpie gathered its courage and stepped forward to say hello. The Beedrill leaned in and threatened Caterpie with its drills. The Worm Pokémon launched a String Shot out of surprise, hitting the bee in the face.

As Beedrill reeled back, the Poliwrath shoved its way in front to meet Poliwag face-to-face. The Beedrill removed the String Shot from its face and confronted Caterpie. Sparks flew from both Poliwag's eyes to Poliwrath's and Caterpie's to Beedrill's. Charmander watched in horror as the big Fearow leaned in to attack Chase's Bug-type.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind made everyone flinch. Pidgeotto flew onto the scene, having used Gust to stop Fearow from hurting its friend. It looked into the Beak Pokémon's eyes to tell it to back off.

Sparks began to fly once again as Charmander was caught in the middle. It tried to keep the peace, but no one would listen. But then everyone heard a deep voice come from the bushes. No one moved, but watched as a large figure walked from out from the foliage. It was red and yellow in color, and like Charmander, it had a flame on its tail. It was a Magmar; a very rare sight to see around here, and it looked very powerful. The Fearow, Poliwrath, and Beedrill sheepishly backed away from the smaller Pokémon after seeing it.

"Magmar?" it asked, and Chase's team explained what happened. Magmar turned to its companions and looked at them sternly; all three hastily apologized to the littler ones. The Spitfire Pokémon looked toward Charmander and nodded, then began leading its group back into the forest. Caterpie, Poliwag, and Charmander sighed in unison.

Suddenly, they all heard a squeal for help. Magmar and the others rushed off towards the noise with Charmander and company close behind.

The Pokémon reached a cliff overlooking the ocean, looking around to see what had called for help. Charmander bent down and looked over the edge of the cliff. There, hanging on a root, was a young Mankey. Charmander got the attention of the others and pointed out the Pokémon in distress. Pidgeotto and the Fearow decided to work together and flew down to rescue the Pig Monkey Pokémon. Unfortunately, because of the strong winds, they couldn't get close enough.

Magmar came up with a plan: they could make a "Pokémon ladder" and lower it down to grab Mankey. Pidgeotto, Fearow, and Poliwag stood back and watched as Magmar took Poliwrath's legs in its hands, which held onto Beedrill. The Bee Pokémon securely held Caterpie with its arms, the caterpillar holding fast, as well. Caterpie shot out a long String Shot, and Charmander tied the string around itself, then Magmar lowered them down.

The wind howled and Charmander was blown all around, but it kept its eyes on Mankey. When it reached the Fighting-type, Charmander held out a friendly hand, but it was afraid to let go and refused. Charmander explained everything would be all right, earning Mankey's trust; it stretched out to grab Charmander's hand, but as fate would have it, the winds picked up and Mankey lost its grip on the root. Caterpie quickly let out more of the String Shot; Charmander dove after the falling Fighting-type and was able to latch onto Mankey's hand.

With a sigh of relief, Magmar pulled everyone up to safety. Mankey gave everyone a big hug to show its gratitude, then said good-bye before scampering off into the woods.

Charmander turned to Magmar and smiled. The larger Fire-type smiled as well, and along with its friends, waved good-bye, and disappeared into the forest.

Chase's Pokémon ventured back through the brush to find their Trainer asleep under the same tree. The four of them rushed over and pounced on him; he woke up and looked around with half-open eyes. Chase let out a yawn and said, "Hi, guys. Sorry, I must have dozed off. Did anything exciting happen?" They all smiled and nodded.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10_

Silver sat on his bed, his back against a wall, staring up at a clock. "Come on," he muttered.

Giovanni had said that he would train with Silver as soon as he was done with business, but it had been at least two hours since then. He had waited in the Training Room until finally going to look for his father. That was when he got the message Giovanni was called to do something urgent, but what could be taking him so long?

At least Silver had something to think about while he waited. The creature Anthony Nelson had cloned was still on his mind. It displayed such powerful psychic prowess that he was worried what the clone could do. Was it still around the Kanto and Johto Regions? Had it found its way to somewhere else? Had anyone found it, and if so, what became of that person?

He let out a sigh and turned to his nightstand. He opened the bottom drawer, pulling out a picture of himself as a little boy. Silver was wearing a black jacket, much like the one he wore now, on top of Giovanni's shoulders, who was wearing a red sweater. Next to them was a woman wearing a sun hat and a warm coat. In the background, you could make out a forest colored golden yellow and fiery red; the picture had been taken in autumn. Silver stared at the picture for a minute, put it away, and checked the clock up on the wall.

Silver hopped off the bed, walked out of his room, and looked around for the funny little scientist named Anthony; his curiosity had gotten the better of him. Strangely, he didn't see anyone. How peculiar for the main hallway to be empty at this time of day.

Silver walked down the hall until he reached the conference room. He stopped to listen and heard his father's voice. So that's where he had gone. Curious, Silver quietly cracked the door open.

Giovanni was sitting with his back to the door, having a meeting via satellite, and it was displayed on a large monitor. On the screen were four separate boxes; one was turned off since it displayed Giovanni to the others, and the other regions displayed people, but Silver couldn't make out the three men's faces.

"Yes, we are to go through with the plan today," softly said the man in the upper left hand corner. "We've already obtained what we sought, now we just need to get rid of the evidence."

"This venture has come along swimmingly," commented the man with a hardy voice in the lower left hand corner.

The man in the upper right hand corner paused and said, "Very good. Now, I'm sure you gentlemen are familiar with my project that is currently in the works."

"Yes, we are," Giovanni interrupted. "But why must you jeopardize it by doing something so risky as to—"

"I've discussed this with you before: it is necessary so we have someone to point a finger at," the man shot back.

"All right, but you already have the means to accomplish your project without doing something so risky."

"Please do not question my judgment."

"Giovanni, remember," the man with the soft voice cut in, "the news will be identifying the patsy."

"Acknowledged," Giovanni replied.

Then came the man with the soft voice again, saying, "Something has come up on my end. Can we consider this meeting adjourned?"

"Very well," replied the man in the upper right corner. "Meeting adjourned."

With that, all the boxes went blank, and Giovanni sighed as he leaned back in his chair. Silver closed the door silently and backed away from it. He made his way up the hall and went around a corner.

Giovanni walked out of the conference room and closed the door behind him. He started in the direction Silver had gone when his son came around the corner.

"Ah, Silver," Giovanni said. "I was just on my way to get changed, and then we can start your training." With that, Silver went to the Training Room to wait.

The Training Room looked a lot like a gymnasium with metal benches on the sides. Silver sat on one of them as Giovanni walked in the room wearing a keikogi. His belt was black, and he held another uniform and a small box in his hands. As soon as he reached the bench, he took his shoes off.

"Here, put this on," Silver's father instructed, handing him the other keikogi.

After dawning the practice clothes and tightly fashioning his white belt, the redhead asked, "What's this for?"

"Today, I am going to teach you martial arts in case you are in a situation where you need to defend yourself."

Giovanni began explaining the basics. Silver caught on fast and was enjoying learning from his father; he seemed to be very experienced.

When they were finished, Giovanni said. "Very good. Now, I want to test you in a Pokémon battle."

The Gym Leader walked to the far side of the room and stood at a red line on the floor. Silver found his line and readied himself.

Giovanni released a very large, Rock- and Ground-type. Rhydon was gray in color and had a large horn on its head. For some reason, the Drill Pokémon wore a string around its neck with a claw attached.

"I choose you, Weavile!" Silver announced.

The Dark-, Ice-type Pokémon appeared on the field. It was black in color with white hands and a red feather-like crown on its head.

"Silver, your move," said Giovanni.

"Use Brick Break, Weavile!"

Weavile's right claw started to glow brightly, and it leaped at Giovanni's Rhydon. Stepping back, the Dark-type was just about to connect when Giovanni commanded, "Horn Drill." Rhydon's horn on its head began to spin rapidly, and the Rock-type jumped towards Weavile.

The Sharp Claw Pokémon twisted its body to avoid being drilled, and hit Rhydon in the head with Brick Break. The Ground-type stumbled while Weavile did a back flip and returned to Silver's side of the field.

"Hammer Arm!" Giovanni called. The Drill Pokémon ran up to Weavile with its right arm glowing and swung. The Dark-type ducked, but was met by Rhydon's attacking coming from behind. Weavile was sent sliding across the ground, but got to its feet despite the super effective move.

"How does it move so fast?" Silver asked himself under his breath.

"Horn Drill!" Giovanni commanded a second time. The claw on Rhydon's necklace flashed, and the Rock-, Ground-type ran at Weavile with its horn spinning.

"Wait, that's a Quick Claw!" Silver exclaimed. "Weavile! Jump and use Brick Break!" Weavile did as it was told and jumped. Rhydon was met with a Brick Break in-between the eyes, and it fell on its back, knocked out. Weavile landed on the ground and gave a sigh of relief. Silver smiled and said, "Great job! Thank you, Weavile. Return."

Giovanni returned his fallen Rhydon, pulled out another Poké Ball and opened it, releasing a large purple-colored Pokémon, it roaring. This Poison-, Ground-type Drill Pokémon was called Nidoking.

Silver placed Weavile's Poké Ball on his belt, then grabbed and enlarged another one. He tossed it up into the air and released a dark purple, almost black in color, Pokémon with big red eyes. "Use Shadow Ball, Gengar!" the redhead instructed. His Shadow Pokémon jumped into the air and held its arms out in front of itself, forming a black ball of energy. Gengar shot it at Nidoking, but the Poison-type dodged and shot a Poison Sting attack. Silver's Pokémon gladly took the hit, knowing it wouldn't hurt much. "Use Psychic!" Gengar's eyes glowed, and a blue light enveloped Nidoking. Gengar lifted the Pokémon high into the air and held it there for a moment. Then Gengar slammed its opponent into the ground; Nidoking had been knocked out. Silver praised his Gengar and returned it as Giovanni withdrew his Pokémon. The Rocket leader walked over to his son, happy with the results.

"You are very skilled, Silver," explained Giovanni, "and because of how well you and your Pokémon battled, you have earned this." Giovanni mustered a smile as he handed Silver the Earth Badge, a green leaf-shaped pin. Silver looked at the Badge in his hand, admiring how it glistened in the light, and then put his prize in a pocket for the time being. "Come this way." Giovanni led his son over to the bench and opened the box he had brought along. Out from it he pulled a blue-colored gem that looked to be glowing dimly. "I trust you will keep this safe. It is very important, and will play an important part in your missions ahead." Giovanni handed the stone to Silver; the Trainer took it in his hands with intrigue and watched it brighten ever so slightly.

"Thank you, Father," Silver responded.

"That concludes your Training for today. Meet me in my office, I have something I want to talk to you about." With that, Giovanni left.

Silver changed out of his keikogi and exited the Training Room. He made his way down the hall towards Giovanni's office. He could hear his father and Nelson conversing inside. Silver knocked on the door; there was silence for a moment, and then he heard his father's voice: "Who is it?"

"It's Silver," he replied. The door opened, and Giovanni was sitting in his leather chair, Nelson was standing in front of the desk.

"Hello, Silver. Pull up a chair and sit down." Silver's father had changed into a black suit with a red "R" on his breast pocket.

Both Silver and the scientist sat down. But, strangely, Nelson was sitting lower than Silver; the scientist's chair was shorter. How did that happen?

"Professor, you will be in charge of a scouting mission in the near future," Giovanni explained. "With your knowledge, you should be able to handle the situation." Nelson beamed with pride. "Silver will assist you."

"What?" the short purple-haired man exclaimed.

"He will have an important part to play."

Anthony wasn't too happy about that. He didn't enjoy the thought of having to baby-sit Silver during this mission, especially when the boy was so inexperienced.

"So, what do you expect me to accomplish on this mission?" asked Silver.

"You are to accompany Nelson as he searches and documents the Ruins of Alph," his father explained. "Professor, tell me how much progress you've made at the construction site."

"We are making good progress and are ahead of schedule," he answered.

"Excellent. That is all."

"Yes, sir!"

"Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this important mission," Giovanni's son said.

Silver made his way to the front gate. Beyond that point it was no longer a tiled floor and white walls, but instead, it was a cave. Team Rocket headquarters had been built into a mountain so as to stay hidden. This passageway was large enough for vehicles to drive through with branches leading off to other parts of the base. Silver signed out, and one of the guards opened the large steel gate. At the end of this cave, an apparatus opened to let the Trainer out.

He emerged at the foot of Mt. Silver, the door to the cave closing behind him, being disguised by shrubbery and other things. It was getting dark out, the sun about to slip over the horizon. Silver took a deep breath of fresh air and found himself a nice rock to sit on. He gazed up at the sky, but, to his surprise, a bright flash of light shot from his belt. The stream of energy hit the ground and formed a Grass-type Pokémon with a pink flower around its neck; the light green-colored Meganium smiled at Silver.

"Hi, Meganium," Silver said happily.

"Me-ga!" it replied.

"I take it you want to look at the stars with me." The Herb Pokémon nodded and stood right next to Silver, both looking up. Meganium was Silver's first Pokémon, and the two of them were best friends. "Hey, look." Silver pointed to a constellation. "That's the Pokémon Breeder, and over there is the Pokémon Artist."

The two gazed at the stars, but after awhile, a twig snapping in the forest broke the silence. Silver got up to investigate and stepped closer to the tree line. There was rustling that seemed to move about sporadically, and then there was an eerie laugh that seemed to echo through the forest. Meganium stood at the ready to defend its Trainer if need be.

"Who's there?" Silver burst out.

"Well, look who it is. Long time no see," someone said menacingly. A figure walked out from behind a tree. It was male and roughly the same height as Silver. He had shoulder length, red-colored hair that seemed to spike out at the bottom, and he wore a black jacket with red designs on it, along with indigo-colored pants. The person had an evil look in his eyes and a smirk on his face.

"Who are you?" the Trainer asked in astonishment.

"Surely, you mustn't have forgotten."

Silver stared at the newcomer for a few moments before stumbling to the fact and saying, "It can't be! You're that clone!"

"Ah, so you _do_ remember me."

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you."

"Why?"

"If it isn't already obvious, we share a special connection. That's what brought me here. You see, I have a goal; since you and I are so alike, I think we could help each other."

"What is this goal?"

"To get rid of all the useless humans that don't deserve to live in this world."

"Ha, I would never help you do such a thing."

"I was told it's what must be done, Silver."

"No, it isn't. You'd be gone, too. But, more importantly, how do you know my name?"

"I know everything about you. And I would not be among those to die, for I am not completely human."

"That's right," Silver thought. "That project was to clone another Mewtwo. But, something of mine must have messed it up and caused the experiment to go awry."

Indeed, Silver's reasoning was correct. Anthony Nelson was in charge of the project because he was knowledgeable enough to create a Mewtwo that would be easily controlled. Silver's interference caused all that to go down the drain, and was the reason why the clone looked like him.

"Thanks to you, I became something much more than just a copy. I am—"

"Milver."

"What?"

"Well, I just figured, since you're a clone of both Mew and me, that would be your name… Plus, Sew isn't that much better."

"Aw, little Silver made a name for me. I'm touched."

"Yes, you are crazy."

Milver smirked and continued, "I am Mewthree, and my purpose I have already explained."

"That doesn't have to be your purpose."

"Here, allow me to demonstrate. Perhaps this will sway your opinion."

Milver held out his right hand and acted as if he were grabbing something. Light blue energy surrounded Silver's neck, strangling him. "Meganium, Body Slam!" the boy croaked.

Meganium barreled up to the clone, but was caught by the same blue light, unable to move. Mewthree flicked his left hand and the Grass-type was sent rolling across the ground. Milver turned his attention back to Silver and flung him into a tree. "Let's have some fun with this, shall we?" he said maliciously. The psychic started prying a large branch loose from above with his mind. Silver glanced up just in time to see as the wood snapped and came tumbling down.

Just then, a bright flash of blue light emitted from Silver's pocket. The redheaded boy held his hands up to defend himself. Milver smiled triumphantly until he saw that the limb had simply broken in two. He looked and saw a dome of deep blue-colored energy covering Silver. It dissipated and the Trainer stood up, wondering what had just happened.

"So, it's true," uttered the clone with intrigue. "I suppose I should keep you around…for now." Milver turned to leave, but stopped, and with his back turned, continued, "If you change your mind, you can find me at Mt. Moon."

The lanky boy then disappeared. Silver went over to Meganium and thanked it for helping. Fortunately, it hadn't gotten too banged up.

"Meganium, did you shield me from that branch?" The Grass-type shook its head no. "Then what was that?"

The two friends walked away from the woods, took one last look at the stars, and Silver returned his pal. He opened the secret entranceway to the cave and signed back in.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11_

Jason walked out of a small hotel room and into a wooden hallway; the sun rose over the horizon and shone beautifully in through a window. He was used to waking up early and enjoyed doing so. The sunrise was always encouraging to see.

Jason walked down the stairs with the floorboards creaking under his weight and emerged in the lobby of the inn. There, sitting at the receptions desk was the owner of the inn. She noticed Jason coming and stood up from her chair to great him.

"Why, good morning. Did you sleep well?" she asked kindly.

"Yes, I did, ma'am. Thank you for your hospitality," Jason responded with a smile.

"You're welcome. It's been a while since we had any visitors. But, I suppose that's what happens when you live in such a small town."

"I'm thankful this town was here. I really needed to stop and rest, but now I should be on my way."

"All right, goodbye!"

"Goodbye!" With that, Jason left the inn.

The day before, Team Rocket attacked while Jason and Salamence were flying. They had to fight them off, and afterward, Salamence was too tired to continue. So, they landed in a nearby town, and Jason rented a room at the local inn. There was not a Pokémon Center in this old village, so Salamence would need some time to recover.

Jason made a stop at the local store and stocked up on food, then proceeded south out of town on foot. He let Houndoom out of its Poké Ball for some exercise and to be prepared if the Rockets tried to attack again.

The two companions made their way across rocky terrain and ventured through the woods. When they came to the top of a rocky hill, Houndoom swiftly made its way down the steep incline, but Jason took a few minutes to climb to the bottom.

Jason took out a map and looked over it, but then he heard a noise. It sounded like humming. He quickly folded up his map and placed it in his backpack. It couldn't have been the men in black uniforms; they wouldn't give themselves away like that.

He gazed ahead and noticed a figure come out of the trees. It was the red-haired Milver; he was looking under rocks and in bushes while humming to himself, and he seemed oblivious to Jason and Houndoom's presence.

The boy lifted up a large rock and turned it over. Finding nothing, he looked in Jason's direction and said, "You can stop gawking." Wait, how did he know where they were hiding?

"I'm sorry," Jason apologized, coming out from the brush. "But, who are you?"

"My name…" his sentence trailed off as he thought for a moment. "I'm called Milver. Who are you?"

"I'm Jason. Nice to meet you." Milver didn't reply. "What are you doing out here?"

"None of your business," the redhead answered sternly.

"Well, excuse me."

Houndoom started growling, sensing something was not right. Milver held his hand up and shot a blast of light blue-colored energy at Jason. The Dark-type Pokémon threw itself in front of its Trainer, nullifying the attack because of its type. "Don't interfere!" Milver exclaimed.

"W-what was that?!" Jason exclaimed.

"My psychic abilities. Which, speaking of, I think this would be an ideal time to test how well the Stone and my powers work together." Milver took a red-colored gem from out of his pocket and held it in his left hand. It glowed before he shot another blast, but this time, the energy was red and much larger. Jason ducked out of the way just in time as the attack hit a rock behind him, shattering it to pieces. "Ah, they work marvelously." Milver was using one of the Power Stones, said to grant incredible abilities. The person who holds the Red Stone could harness its power, and he desired to collect the rest.

Milver shot another blast that Houndoom intercepted while Jason turned to run. The psychic quickly changed tactics and grabbed Jason with his power, lifting him into the air.

"Put me down!"

"Gladly," Milver smiled evilly as he sent Jason tumbling across the ground. Houndoom bounded up to the psychic and bit his leg. "Why you!" He tried to repel the Pokémon, but his attack did not work on Dark-types. Annoyed, he broke a branch off a tree with his powers and slammed it into Houndoom's side, knocking it unconscious.

"No! Houndoom!" Jason shouted in dismay.

"I sense you have something special. Perhaps it's another Stone. Give it to me!" the redhead demanded.

Jason froze when Milver seemed to teleport right in front of him. He clenched his fist and threw a punch at the boy's head, but Milver simply moved to the side to avoid it.

With a grin, the psychic set the palm of his hand on Jason's chest; his eye color turned the same color as the Stone, and Jason was sent hurtling through the air by a burst of red psychic energy. Jason's backpack opened in the process and its contents fell out, including the capsule-like container that held the special artifact. Milver used his powers to scan all the objects on the ground and pinpointed the item of importance. He levitated the capsule over to himself as Jason stood up.

"Oh no!" Jason exclaimed as he watched Milver uncap one end of the large capsule and peer in. Milver's expression changed as soon as he saw what was inside.

"This holds no importance to me," the psychic said coldly as he tossed the container to the ground. Jason grabbed his backpack and watched as Milver started to levitate into the air.

By now, Houndoom had regained consciousness and saw the redheaded boy floating. It launched a Flamethrower at him, but Milver dodged it with ease before flying off in a southerly direction and disappearing over the trees.

Jason began gathering his belongings. After he had repacked everything, he held the container in his hands. Jason peered inside to see what exactly he was protecting. Houndoom approached and looked in the large capsule as well.

"Hmm, interesting," muttered Jason. Just then, he heard the sound of a helicopter in the air. "Uh-oh." Jason frantically screwed the cap back on the container and put it back in his backpack. "That must be the men in black. Come on, Houndoom."

Jason and Houndoom then hurried under the trees where it was impossible to be seen from above. Jason stood next to a tree trunk and listened to the roar of the helicopter fade away and pulled out his map.

"Okay," Jason said to Houndoom, "we should be somewhere around here on the north part of Honshu. Now, if we keep heading south, we should reach the Kanto Region in a couple of days by foot, maybe sooner if we can find a Pokémon Center for Salamence." Jason put his map away in his backpack, and the Trainer crept out of the trees.

"Okay, Houndoom, they're gone. Let's get going." With that, they started off towards the south through the forest. But even though they had just dodged the men in black and survived a fight with an unearthly boy, Jason couldn't help but feel like there was something more to it all. What do the men in black want with the artifact? What was Milver searching for? Were there actually more Stones like the one he had? Jason pondered these questions as he and his Pokémon traveled through the forest.

Jason found a clearing in the forest and decided to set up camp there and gathered firewood. By the time he had his fire going, it was dark, and the stars and moon shone in the night sky.

He sat on a rock roasting a marshmallow on a stick while Houndoom was sleeping on the other side. Behind him was his triangular-shaped tent, and his backpack sat beside him. Jason took his marshmallow out of the flames and meshed it between two graham crackers and some chocolate, setting the stick down and taking a bite.

"Yum… There's noting like eating s'mores under a clear night sky," Jason said. After eating his snack, he turned to his backpack and took out the large capsule-like container and held it in his hands. Houndoom opened one eye and looked at Jason before sitting up. It shot a look at Jason as if to say "What are you doing?"

"Hey, Houndoom. I'm just looking at the container. Man, it's gotten pretty crazy lately." Houndoom nodded before plopping back on the ground and closed its eyes. "I wonder what we should do once we reach Kanto? Well, at least we should be away from all of these weirdoes. I wonder how the General's doing and what happened back at the base. I think we'll find out soon enough. General Franklin entrusted me to protect this, and that's just what I'll do. And you know what?" The Dark Pokémon looked at its Trainer sleepily. "I only have a couple months left until my enlistment in the military is up." Houndoom yawned and nodded before going back to sleep. Jason smiled and put the large capsule away. "Okay, goodnight, buddy."

****************


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12_

It was morning in Cerulean City; the sliding doors to the Pokémon Center opened and Chase ran out with a grin on his face. "Next stop: Saffron City!" he exclaimed. He ran down an empty dirt road that led out of town.

Once out on Route five, one of his Poké Balls popped open and Charmander took form. They looked into each other's eyes, and Chase said, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" The two began racing. Charmander started off in the lead because its Trainer gave it a head start, but it ended up tripping. Chase looked back and laughed to himself, but ran into a tree. Charmander passed him by, giggling. The Trainer rubbed his nose and tried to catch up with the Fire-type. "Get back here!" he called out playfully.

It was almost evening when they reached the gates to Saffron City, both tired from their journey. Chase leaned up against a small tree while Charmander fell flat on its face out of exhaustion. It had been a long trek.

"Charmander?" the Trainer panted. "Are you okay?" The Pokémon gave a muffled response from beneath the dirt. "Glad you're all right."

The gate that lead into Saffron was barricaded with a guard standing by, and the city was in shambles; the top portion of a tall skyscraper had been blown off.

"What?" Chase gasped.

"They won't let you in there," a voice called out. Chase looked around, startled. His vision fell upon an elderly man with spiky gray hair.

"Who are you?" the young Trainer asked.

"My name is Yosocky. What's yours, sonny?"

"I'm Chase. I'm a Pokémon Trainer!" he announced proudly.

"Really? I don't see any Pokémon."

"My Charmander's right over there." Chase's Pokémon still lay on the ground, resting.

"Ah, so that's your Pokémon."

"Yes."

"I say, why is it eating dirt?"

"Huh? Oh, no, it's just resting." Charmander made a muffled sound in agreement.

The old man smiled. "I was only joking. Nice to meet you, Chase."

Yosocky reached out a hand and Chase shook it.

"Nice to meet you," the boy smiled.

"So, are you collecting Gym Badges to compete in the Pokémon League?"

"Yes, I am. Isn't there a Gym here in Saffron?"

"Well, yes, but it was pretty banged up," Yosocky explained. "The city was damaged from the attacks earlier."

"Who attacked them?"

"I wasn't around at the time, but the news said Team Rocket did. I tell you, they've done some pretty bad things in the past, but this takes the cake." Yosocky turned and looked up at the tallest building in Saffron, its top floors destroyed. "They attacked a lot of the important buildings, including the Silph Co. building. Fortunately, no one was hurt. But as you can see, it's going to take some time to fix. The Gym Leader, Sabrina, is helping to rebuild the city, so she is very busy right now. You'll have to come back later if you want a match with her"

"Okay, then. Are they letting people into the city at all?"

"No, you'll have to turn back." Chase looked at his feet, a little disappointed. "You better get a move on, it'll be getting dark soon."

"Yeah, I guess I'll have to camp out tonight. But what about you?"

"Oh, don't worry about me," he assured the boy. Chase nodded, but noticed something on Yosocky's belt.

"Hey, what is that?"

"Ah, you've noticed my Apricorn."

"Apricorn?" Chase echoed.

"Yes, it's what they used to make Poké Balls out of back in the day. I got this one from an old friend of mine a long time ago."

"Wow, that sounds interesting. Can I see it?"

"Just don't fool around with it." Yosocky took the Apricorn off of his belt and handed it to Chase. It looked just like a Poké Ball, except the top was gold in color, and its bottom was silver with the middle line where the button was located being made out of crystal.

"Awesome." Chase gave it back to Yosocky, who put it back on his belt. "Whoever made it really outdid himself."

"He was always very elaborate in his detail. But, anyway, I must be on my way. Perhaps we'll run into each other again."

"Yes. Take care!"

Yosocky smiled. "Oh, one more thing. Go down Route 9 and follow it to Route 10. There you will find a cave that leads to Lavender Town. It may take longer, but it will certainly get you around Saffron." Chase nodded and thanked him, and then they said good-bye and parted ways. With the help of Charmander and his other Pokémon, Chase was able to set up his tent.

Noon earlier that same day, Bill walked out of the Pewter Gym, holding up the Boulder Badge.

"Cool," he marveled. He was about to put it in his pocket when he heard someone call his name.

"Bill!" the voice shouted. Bill turned and saw a girl about his age run up to him.

"Lanette?" Bill exclaimed in surprise.

"Hi, Bill! Long time no see!" Lanette said happily. She had long, red hair, and wore a green dress.

"Yeah, but what are you doing here?"

"Well, I was here for a computer convention."

"There was a convention here? Darn. I wish I would have known about it. So, what did I miss?"

"Oh, there was so many different new programs and equipment! You would have loved to see it all. By the way, I have some great news! I just got a call from Celio; he told me he was offered a job up in the Sinnoh Region!"

"Really? What for?"

"Well, Galactic Corporation offered Celio a job because he was the one who created the GTS. The CEO said he'd be honored to have Celio work there up at the main building as a programmer! Maybe he'll get the chance to visit Bebe while he's in the region!"

"Wow! That's great! When's he leaving?"

"He should have left by now. But, don't worry; he's taking his cell phone if you want to talk to him. Say, what do you have in your hand?"

"The Boulder Badge," Bill answered.

"So, you've started your Pokémon journey, huh? That's great, Bill!"

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome! I wish I had more time to hear about it, but I have a plane to catch to get back to Hoenn. I hope to see you soon, Bill!"

"Me, too. It's too bad you have to leave now, but that's okay. It was really nice seeing you again! Goodbye!" With that, Lanette walked off to make her flight.

Bill gazed at his Gym Badge again; he held it up towards the sun to see it glimmer. "Good luck, Celio," he smiled.

A plane touched down in Veilstone Airport. The runway was damp from a recent rain shower, and the sky held the remnants of the storm. Celio gathered up his luggage and waited to exit. With his trusty laptop under his right arm and his suitcase in his left hand, he stepped off the plane. He was very excited about his new position. He'd never had dreamed he would get a job offer from Galactic Corporation. It had many affiliates and offices around the world with many possibilities for advancement.

As Celio walked out into the concourse, he saw a man holding up a sign with his name on it. The programmer walked over to him and said, "Hi, I'm Celio."

"Hello, I'm here to pick you up. May I take your bag?"

With that, the chauffeur led Celio to a black limousine and opened the back door for him. There sitting in the back seat and waiting for him was a man who had spiky blue hair and wore a black suit with a big yellow "G" sewn onto his breast pocket.

"I'm Cyrus, the CEO of Galactic Corporation," he said. "It's nice to meet you in person!"

"I'm honored, sir. Thank you for this opportunity! I'll do my best!"

"I'm very excited to meet the inventor of the Global Trade Station!"

"Well, thank you, sir."

Cyrus instructed the driver to head for the Galactic Corporation Building.

The interior of the limousine was very impressive; the seats were leather, and the floor was finely carpeted.

"So, when do I get started?" Celio asked.

"We can go by the office and I'll show you where you'll be working. I have taken the liberty of reserving a hotel room for you, at the company's expense, for the weekend. Here is a list of apartment buildings that are close by; you should be able to secure one quickly."

Soon, they arrived at the Galactic Corporation Building. It was a forty-story, glass-enclosed building. The chauffeur pulled into the private entrance, then Cyrus and Celio got into the executive elevator that was waiting for them.

****************


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter 13_

At the Sinnoh Galactic Corporation Building, Cyrus sat in a large swivel chair in his office, wearing his black suit with the big yellow "G" sewn onto his breast pocket.

He pressed a red-colored button on the intercom; his secretary answered, "Yes, Mr. Galactic?"

"I want to see our new employee, Celio. Send him at once."

"Yes, sir."

Celio was just getting settled into his new office. He had a desk, a couple of filing cabinets, and a large fern placed in the corner. On the desk was Celio's laptop computer, along with a desktop computer the corporation supplied him with. On top of the large monitor was Celio's favorite novelty item, an Ash Ketchum bobble head.

He was looking over some files when Cyrus's secretary called over the intercom, informing him that Cyrus requested his presence.

Celio walked into an elevator and punched in the highest floor's number, and it began to climb upward. Reaching its destination, the doors opened and Celio stepped out. He walked down a long hallway until he came to a door that had a golden plaque on it that read, "Cyrus Galactic, CEO of Galactic Corporation." The programmer entered and greeted the secretary.

"Mr. Galactic, Celio is here to see you," announced the red-haired secretary into the intercom. "Celio, you may go in."

Cyrus's office seemed huge to Celio. At the far end sat Cyrus at his desk, and behind him was a wall of glass that had a panoramic view of the seaside. It had been raining, but the sun had broken out and chased the storm clouds off to the northeast.

"Hello, Celio," Cyrus smiled.

"Hello, sir," he replied.

"I want to talk to you about something." Cyrus bent over and opened a drawer on his desk; he pulled out a file and placed it in front of him. "So, you made the Global Trade Station. How did you come up with such an idea?"

"It was a product of my experimentation with trading over long distances," Celio explained. "I was able to let people trade from as far away as Kanto to Hoenn, so why not expand that so anyone could trade from anywhere around the world? As for actually making the GTS, it took awhile. But, after a lot of hard work, I was able to complete it."

"Doesn't your GTS use the Pokémon Storage System?"

"That is correct."

"I couldn't find anything in the licensing agreement that authorized the use of the Storage System."

"What are you talking about? That is the only way for the system to operate. The GTS goes _through_ the Storage System!"

"But the written authorization giving you permission isn't there!" Cyrus shot back. Celio was confused at all of this. "There are no signed contracts. Who's to say you didn't just use its servers?" Celio tensed up and went blank. Perhaps Cyrus was right. The blue-haired man rested his elbow on the arm of his chair and said, "However…"

"Yes?"

"Galactic Corporation might be willing to represent you if any of this comes out. All you have to do is design a program that can receive and collate electronic signals. If not, hopefully the legal community won't figure this out."

Celio felt like he didn't have a choice. He was stuck between a Graveler and a hard place. "Okay," he spoke up. "I'll do it."

"Good. We will supply you with whatever you need. I advise you get to work immediately."

Celio nodded and walked towards the door, noticing a large television screen mounted on the wall. He got in the elevator and rode it down, then walked back into his office where he plopped down in a chair and slumped over his desk.

"What a mess," he muttered, looking up to see the Ash Ketchum bobble head nodding.

The next day, Silver woke up early. He dressed in his keikogi, grabbed his Poké Balls and a change of his favorite clothes, and walked out of his room.

He looked up and down the hall; there wasn't much activity yet. He proceeded to the Training Room, setting his things in his locker. He went through his morning routines, practicing deep breathing and other exercises his father had taught him. Once he was finished, he put on his regular clothes and sat on the bench, and Meganium came out to greet him.

"Good morning, buddy!" said Silver. "Are you ready for another day?" Meganium nodded. "Great." Silver's sunny face dimmed as he looked at the floor, deep in thought. His Grass-type poked its head into his vision, its eyes asking what was wrong.

"It's that Milver guy," the boy explained. "What he said has been worrying me. What am I supposed to do?" They sat quietly for a moment before Silver said, "Maybe I could find someone to help defeat him." Meganium nodded in agreement. "Aw, who am I kidding? There wouldn't be anyone who would want to help me. I couldn't trust my dad; he'd probably want to use Milver. Nelson wouldn't want to help, either. I guess I'm alone on this one." The Herb Pokémon cuddled up against its Trainer, telling him he wasn't alone.

"You're right," Silver responded with renewed enthusiasm. "I have you and the others. Thanks for reminding me of that." Meganium smiled. "I have no idea where I'd be without you. We've been together for so long. I still remember the day we met."

It happened back when Silver first started his journey. He had found Professor Elm's laboratory and was waiting for his chance to take one of the Starter Pokémon. The moment came when he saw Elm give one to a boy to assist him in running an errand. After the new Trainer had left and Elm was tending to something else, Silver made his move.

Entering through an open window, Silver grabbed the Poké Ball containing the type that would be super effective against the other boy's, and then escaped.

Back in the present, Silver continued, "Back then, I was just emulating my father. I thought you could just take whatever you wanted. But now I know better. And I'm very grateful that Professor Elm let me keep you when I tried to return you."

Later that day, the base had returned to its usual bustling activity, and Silver was walking up to his father's office. From inside he heard Giovanni talking with Anthony. The words were barely audible, but it sounded like his father was pleased. Then there was silence before Giovanni raised his voice, saying, "Nelson, now get back to work!"

Silver stepped aside when Nelson walked out the door. The scientist frowned and glared at him for a second as he went back to his lab.

All of a sudden, the gem in his pocket began to glow brightly. It was so bright that the light could be seen by anyone. Silver quickly covered it up and hastened to his room. There, he took it out and the light hurt his eyes. What was making it glow like that? There had to be some reasonable explanation. Perhaps Nelson could solve this mystery.

As much as he didn't want to, Silver headed for the laboratory. Inside, there were a couple of computers and other equipment scattered about, as well as filing cabinets and other things used for experiments. Silver passed another scientist as he entered the lab, leaving Nelson and the boy alone. He walked up to the purple-haired man and said, "I want to talk to you about something."

Nelson sighed in irritation and said, "Fine, but make it quick. What is it?"

"My father gave this to me, so I need to know more about it." Silver revealed the glowing Stone from his pocket, Nelson's jaw dropped.

"The Blue Power Stone? But why did he give it to you?"

"I don't know, but could you please give me some information on it?"

Nelson composed himself and started explaining, "This is a rather different stone. There are four of these known as the Power Stones; each a different color that holds large quantities of energy. One of their distinguishing features is how they glow when two or more are in close proximity to each other."

"Interesting. But, would there be any other circumstances where they might shine?"

"Well, they shine when in the hands of their 'master.'"

"Master?" Silver repeated.

"Every person gives off an energy known as an aura. Pokémon like Lucario can see it. A Stones' reaction to someone identifies its master. If one has good stature and their aura resembles that of the Stone, that person can access its power.

"The other Power Stones include the Green Stone, the Yellow Stone, and the Red Stone, the latter being the only one out of the set to let virtually anyone use it."

"That's very fascinating. Could there be any other Stones nearby?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that. Now, please, you must be going. I desperately need to get back to what I was doing."

"But—"

"Leave!" Silver took his Stone and left, hiding it in his jacket the best he could. Nelson rubbed his forehead as he scanned over his research papers. "Giovanni, sometimes I don't know what's going through your head," he muttered.

Silver went back to his room and examined the Blue Stone. Walking over to his nightstand, he opened up a drawer and placed the glowing rock inside. Just as he closed it, Silver heard an electronic version of "Gotta Catch 'Em All" play. He pulled out a gray-colored PokéGear and flipped it open.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Silver," Giovanni said, "meet me in the Training Room in twenty minutes for more training."

"Yes, sir."

****************


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter 14_

It was about noon in Cerulean City. Wild Pidgey chirped as Butterfree fluttered in the air. A sudden rustling in the bushes at the road leading into the city scared away some Rattata. Chase emerged with twigs in his hair; Charmander had mud splattered all over its face and there was an empty nest on top of its head.

"We made it," Chase groaned. "I'm beat." Charmander nodded and lay on its stomach while Chase sat down. "You should see yourself; you look so funny with that nest on your head." The small Pokémon pointed to Chase's hair and all the twigs sticking out of it. "You're right, I could pass myself off as a Turtwig." Charmander giggled and absentmindedly pushed the nest backwards off its head so it fell onto Charmander's flame. "Well, let's look on the bright side. We didn't manage to catch anything on fire, eh?" Chase glanced over and smiled, then did a double take. "Charmander, move, please." The fire Pokémon got up and moved nonchalantly out of the way to reveal the blazing nest.

"Fire!" Chase screamed. "Oh no, not good, not good, not good!" Chase jumped up and began stamping the flames out. Charmander, on the other hand, ran back and forth yelling its name. Chase hit it on the head and said, "Cut that out and help me, will you?" Soon, with their combined efforts, they succeeded in putting the fire out, and they heaved a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, in a dark, endless abyss where lightning traced the sky, two Pokémon continued to fight. One flew away and then doubled back quickly, gathering energy in an orange ball that floated in front of its mouth. Before the second could dodge the Hyper Beam, it was hit, sending a small shock wave in all directions. It grunted and flew away to regroup. It would only have this moment before the other came after it again.

The one remaining floated motionlessly in the darkness. Then, a strand of lightning lit up the sky; the Pokemon raised its head to watch, but as everything dimmed, the glow from its eyes was the only light left.

Back outside Cerulean, Chase said, "Boy, I'm sure glad that fire didn't get out of hand! Now, let's—"

Just then, a strong wind began to blow. He braced himself before a shockwave knocked them both off their feet. "Again? What _is_ that?" Chase exclaimed as he picked himself up. Charmander shrugged, and the two of them headed into town towards the Pokémon Center.

They entered and walked up to the desk. Chase returned Charmander and handed his Poké Balls to Nurse Joy to be healed. After waiting, the pink-haired woman returned them.

"You're Pokémon are fully healed," said Joy with a smile. Chase thanked her and he departed to find Route 9.

Once outside, he pulled out a map and studied it, finding that he would have to take the east road out of town. Chase let his Pokémon out and they embarked into the wilderness.

The group had walked through at least half of the Route when they stopped to take a brake. Their path was made up of rough terrain, with rock walls on either side.

Pidgeotto flew up and found a tree to rest in while Chase and the others found a patch if grass to lie on. The Trainer began to doze off, so Caterpie climbed up on his head and did the same. Poliwag and Charmander giggled to themselves, and they too leaned back to catch some shuteye. Pidgeotto had already fallen asleep in its tree.

A nice breeze blew across them, and everything was silent…until Chase was awakened by the sounds of a Pokémon battle. "That's great! Keep it up!" he heard someone call from around the corner. He got up, setting Caterpie down, then walked over to see what was going on. A boy wearing a green shirt, brown pants, and a blue backpack was training an Ivysaur. He called out for a Razor Leaf attack, and the Seed Pokémon practiced using it on a tree. "Yeah, keep going!" Chase's team had noticed this and joined him to watch.

Chase pulled out his Pokédex and aimed it at the Ivysaur. It turned on and said, "IVYSUAR, THE SEED POKéMON. WHEN THE BUD ON ITS BACK STARTS SWELLING, A SWEET AROMA WAFTS TO INDICATE THE FLOWER'S COMING BLOOM."

The other boy saw Chase out of the corner of his eye and told his Ivysaur to stop. He approached Chase, saying, "Hey, you're that guy I battled back in Pewter, right?"

"What?" Chase answered in surprise.

"Remember? I used my Bulbasaur!"

"Oh! I remember! You're—"

"Tyson," he interrupted, "the world's next greatest Pokémon Trainer!"

"I see your Bulbasaur evolved."

"Yeah, it evolved right before we took on Misty in Cerulean. What about your Starter? Has it evolved?"

"Well, uh…" Chase said hesitantly, letting his sentence trail off. Charmander jumped out from behind the corner boldly and struck a pose. Tyson broke out in laughter. Charmander, annoyed, tugged on Chase's pant leg and motioned for him to make Tyson stop.

"What's so funny?" Chase asked, a little irritated.

"Your Charmander hasn't evolved!" Tyson roared. "What about your other Pokémon?" Pidgeotto flew over in front of Chase and used a weak Gust on Tyson, making him fall over. Caterpie and Poliwag joined Pidgeotto and stood like they were protecting Chase. Tyson looked up at them and started laughing again. He pushed himself up off the ground, his eyes watering. "Here, take a look at this!" Reaching for his belt, he pulled off three Poké Balls and enlarged them. They released a Pidgeotto, a Beedrill, and a Sandslash.

Pidgeotto flapped and hopped over to Tyson's Pidgeotto and stared it in the eyes. Tyson's Beedrill approached Caterpie menacingly with its drills, and Poliwag puffed itself up to look bigger to the Sandslash.

Tyson continued on, "I can't believe your Caterpie hasn't evolved yet, and that Poliwag probably doesn't even know Water Gun! Your Charmander's so pathetic, it would be beaten by my Ivysaur in one blow."

"Stop being so childish."

"What'd you say? How about I show you a real Pokémon battle! Four-on-four!"

"Sure."

Tyson jogged a good distance away with his partners following him. "You can have the first move!"

"Thanks!" Chase knelt down in front of his Pokémon "All right, guys, I want you to do the best you can. Charmander, you're going out first." The Fire-type nodded and ran out onto the field.

"Go! Ivysaur!" Tyson commanded. His Ivysaur ran out as well and stomped its feet on the ground.

"Charmander! Use Ember!" Charmander launched a flurry of small embers at Ivysaur.

"Dodge it and use Vine Whip!" Tyson called. The Grass-type jumped out of the way and used Vine Whip, grabbing Charmander and lifting it up in the air. Then, with a flick, it threw the Fire-type back down to the ground.

"Metal Claw!" Chase cried. Charmander hopped to its feet and bounded up to Ivysaur, its claws glowing a brilliant white.

"Block with Vine Whip!" The Ivysaur extended its vines and made a small shield with them, guarding its face. Charmander still attempted the attack, but Ivysaur whipped Charmander in the stomach, which sent it flying back at Chase. "Razor Leaf!" Thinking fast, the Lizard Pokémon used Ember, and the red-hot coal deflected Ivysaur's attack.

"Great job!" Chase complimented.

"That's it, Stun Spore!" Tyson shouted. Ivysaur began to shake its flower. Small, yellow-colored particles were sent flying into the air.

"Don't breath that stuff in, Charmander!" Chase warned, but it was too late. Charmander became paralyzed.

"Now we've got you. Vine Whip!" Ivysaur used Vine Whip again and started hitting its opponent ruthlessly.

Charmander stood motionlessly, taking the brunt of the attack. "Come on, Charmander, you can do it!" Chase tried to encourage his Pokémon, but it just couldn't move.

"Like I said, pathetic!" Tyson mocked.

"Charmander!" Chase called once again. "You can do it!"

Charmander felt a fire light in its belly. The Pokémon couldn't take anymore of this. A determined look appeared on its face, and the flame on its tail doubled in size.

Charmander, no longer paralyzed, grabbed both of Ivysaur's vines in its hands and yanked on them, pulling Ivysaur to the ground. Then, the Fire-type opened its mouth to use an Ember, but instead, a long stream of fire came jetting out, engulfing Ivysaur. Moments later, the flame receded to show an unconscious Grass-, Poison-type with small flames still burning around it.

"What the heck was that?" Tyson exclaimed, dumbfounded.

Chase pulled out his Pokédex and pointed it at Charmander. "CHARMANDER'S SPEACIAL ABILITY, BLAZE, INCREASES THE POWER OF FIRE-TYPE MOVES," it said.

Charmander's tail returned to its normal size and the small lizard went over to its Trainer. Chase gave it a big hug and praised it for doing such a great job. Tyson returned his Ivysaur and angrily ordered his Beedrill to take the field.

"Charmander, you take a good long rest, okay?" It nodded, and Chase returned it to its Poké Ball. Turning to the others, he said, "Who wants to go next?" Caterpie stepped forward. "Are you sure?" It nodded. "Then Caterpie, I choose you!" The Bug-type took its place on the battlefield and stared Beedrill in the eyes.

"Beedrill! Poison Sting!" shouted Tyson. Beedrill hovered in the air and its left spike began to glow a light purple, shooting a wide spray of same-colored spikes at Caterpie. Chase's Pokémon was hit, and a lot of dirt was kicked up.

"String Shot!" Chase instructed. Quickly, a silky string shot out of the dust cloud and grabbed a hold of one of Beedrill's hands.

"Shake it off!" The Poison Bee Pokémon started spinning its drill, which made the string coil up around it. Caterpie was dragged up close and Beedrill looked menacingly at it.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz," Beedrill snickered at having rendered Caterpie's String Shot useless. The smaller Bug-type shot its other drill with silk, but Beedrill just coiled that up, too. Then, it reeled back and got ready for the next attack, only to find that its drills wouldn't spin anymore. Taking advantage of this, Caterpie started wrapping its foe up in more String Shot, eventually making it impossible for it to move.

"Now! Use Tackle!" Chase instructed. Caterpie crouched close to the ground and sprung up, ramming Beedrill right in the face. The Bug-, Poison-type toppled over, knocked out.

Caterpie celebrated and jumped in the air. It ran to Chase, who scooped it up in his arms. "You did great, buddy!" he praised it. "Have a good rest. Return!" And so Caterpie disappeared into its Poké Ball, Chase placing it back on his belt.

Tyson stomped his foot as he returned Beedrill. "I'm going to show you!" he declared. "Go, Pidgeotto!" His Normal-, Flying-type flew out onto the field and readied itself.

"Okay, you're next, Pidgeotto." Chase said to his own Bird Pokémon. It went out to the field and hovered in the air.

With the efforts of Charmander and Caterpie, Chase was able to pull off the first two victories of the match. But, could he continue to win?

****************


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter 15_

"Gust!" Tyson commanded. His Pidgeotto flapped its wings vigorously and created a whirlwind.

"Use Quick Attack and fly over it!" Chase yelled to his own Pidgeotto. It flew upwards at blinding speeds, leaving a stream of white light behind it. Chase was buffeted by the Gust attack; he held up his arms for protection as his clothes flapped in the wind.

Pidgeotto made an arc and started to dive-bomb the other bird. Tyson's Pokémon tried to dodge, but Chase's was too fast; it rammed the opponent into the ground, returning to Chase's side of the field.

"Okay, you use Quick Attack!" Tyson commanded. His Bird Pokémon jumped forward and rocketed towards its foe.

"You too, Pidgeotto!" Chase called quickly. Pidgeotto flew straight upwards with a sudden burst of speed like before, but Tyson's Pidgeotto followed it into the sky. Thinking fast, Chase's Pidgeotto made a loop-de-loop to get behind the other.

"Now use Gust!" Chase instructed. Pidgeotto flapped its wings, creating a huge gust of wind like before. This caught the other Pidgeotto off guard, and it plummeted to the ground. "Quick Attack!" Pidgeotto burst forward at its opponent, planning to ram it.

"Quick Attack!" Tyson yelled. His Pokémon regained its balance, and the two birds sped towards each other and clashed, sending them spiraling out of control.

Both Pidgeotto got their bearings and slammed into each other over and over with Quick Attack, never seeming to let up as their Trainers watched in anticipation. Eventually, it came down to one final collision. They both hit head on, and they fell towards the ground.

Chase ran out onto the battlefield and managed to catch his Pidgeotto. Tyson, on the other hand, just returned his Pokémon in mid-air, not giving it any thanks for doing its best.

"Pidgeotto!" Chase exclaimed. "Are you okay?" The Flying-type's eyes focused and it nodded. "That's good. You deserve a nice long rest. Return." With that, Pidgeotto returned to its Poké Ball. "Okay, Poliwag, your turn." The Tadpole Pokémon bounced out onto the battlefield as Tyson motioned for his Sandslash to do the same. The Ground-type started sharpening its claws on one another to frighten its opponent.

"Use Bubble, Poliwag!" The Water-type Pokémon launched a flurry of bubbles at Tyson's Sandslash.

"Fury Swipes!" Tyson quickly commanded. The Ground-type started to pop each bubble with its huge claws.

"Try again!" Chase called. Poliwag did, but Sandslash just did the same thing as before.

"Now use Swift!" Sandslash's claws began to shine with a yellow-hued light, and it slashed at the air in front of it, sending three stars of energy flying at Poliwag. Because this move couldn't miss, Poliwag was hit and it fell on its back. "Finish it up with Poison Sting!" The Mouse Pokémon rushed up to Poliwag with its right claw glowing a light purple. It made a strong swipe, sending the Water-type flying towards Chase's feet. His Poliwag lay knocked out on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Poliwag!" Chase cried. "Are you okay?" He picked the Pokémon up in his arms. Poliwag woke up and nodded. "Okay, return. You need some rest." Chase plucked Poliwag's ball off of his belt and returned it.

"Yeah, you go, Sandslash!" Tyson exclaimed.

"Okay, I choose you! Charmander!" Chase chucked Charmander's Poké Ball into the air, and the Fire-type took form on the battlefield.

"Charmander," Chase whispered. "Can you use that Flamethrower attack again?" The Fire-type looked back over its shoulder and gave Chase a look that said it would try. Sandslash had repositioned itself and stood a yard or so in front of Charmander.

The lizard took a deep breath and prepared itself to fire at Sandslash. It opened its mouth and expected a geyser of fire to come shooting forth, but instead, a puff of smoke came out and floated away.

"Your Charmander can't use Flamethrower again? Oh, that's rich!" Tyson laughed.

"Metal Claw!" Charmander ran up to Sandslash and tried swiping at it, but the Ground-type guarded with its left claw, and quickly countered using a Poison Sting attack with its right. Charmander recoiled, scowling in pain. "Ember!" It launched a storm of small embers hurtling into Sandslash's face; the Mouse Pokémon covered its eyes with its claws, cringing and leaving itself open.

Charmander's claws glowed again, and it successfully landed a Metal Claw. Sandslash stumbled around, trying to regain its balance.

"Sand Attack!" Tyson commanded. The Ground-type dug its claws into the ground and began shoveling dirt at Charmander. It was hit in the eyes and toppled over. Sandslash approached Charmander with its claw glowing purple once more, and it raised its hand high into the air. In one swift motion, Sandslash slammed its claw down on the defenseless Charmander. Sandslash backed away, snickering to itself.

"Charmander?" Chase called out, hoping his friend was still conscious.

"Give it up. Your little Pokémon is finished." When Charmander heard this, its eyes opened and it stood up. "W-what?" Tyson stammered. Suddenly, Charmander's flame on the tip of its tail grew gigantic like before.

"All right! Go, Charmander!" Chase cheered. "Now, use Flamethrower!" Charmander opened its mouth, and a full-fledged stream of searing flames came blasting out. The attack instantly engulfed Sandslash, and it was knocked out in seconds. Tyson stood in disbelief as Charmander's flame returned to normal; it walked over to Chase to celebrate.

"That was amazing, Charmander!" the Trainer praised his friend.

"Return," Tyson muttered through gritted teeth, returning Sandslash.

"Good game!" Chase exclaimed as he walked up to Tyson to shake his hand. The other Trainer ignored him and walked passed, heading up the road towards Cerulean. "…Okay?" Chase and Charmander exchanged confused looks.

Over at the Galactic Corporation Building, Celio had been working on the new software. It was starting to get late, and he hadn't gotten any sleep; his eyes were red and the room was dim, the only strong source of light was the blue glow of his computer screen. All he had to keep going was a cup of coffee and his Ash Ketchum bobble head.

He stopped typing and moved his mouse around on his desktop computer, then looked at his bobble head.

"What do you think? Should I add this extra line of code here or there?" Celio asked. The bobble head nodded up and down. "Okay. Should I try this command to go with it?" The bobble head shook its head from side-to-side. "Okay, thanks." Celio began to move his mouse again, but glanced back and the bobble head. It had resumed nodding. Celio stared at it for a moment, then said, "I'm losing it." Celio stood up from his chair and walked over to the file cabinet and opened one of the drawers. "Come on, that file they sent me has to be in here somewhere…"

He came to a folder, and thinking it was the one he was looking for, pulled it out. It was entitled "Operation Cyclops."

"Oh, what do we have here…?" Celio muttered in intrigue.

On the first page, it read, "The integration of the Pokémon Storage System—"

Suddenly, the secretary's voice came over the intercom and Celio screamed in surprise.

"Celio?" she asked.

"You scared me!" he said into the microphone as he took a deep breath.

"Cyrus wants to see the progress you've been making. He wants you to meet him in his office."

"Okay. Thank you."

Without delay, Celio picked up the folder and quickly placed it back where he found it, and went back to his computer. He kept working on the program, finally burning and placing the finished first draft disk into a sleeve.

He departed to the top floor with his new creation in hand. Celio took the elevator up and walked down the hall towards Cyrus's office. He was starting to get a bad feeling about the place as he got closer and closer.

Eventually, he reached the door. "Okay, let's go." He was about to enter the secretary's office, but a hand was placed on his shoulder, Celio jerking around to see who it was.

"And just _what_ do you think you're doing up here?" a man questioned.

"Uh, who are you?" Celio asked as he pushed his glasses further up his nose.

"The name's Saturn," he answered. The man had dark blue hair that was styled up in two spikes. He wore black pants with a white suit jacket that had black sleeves and a tie. "Who are you and what are you doing up here?"

"I-I'm Celio, a new employee, and I'm here to show Cyrus what I've been working on… See?" He showed Saturn the disk.

"Oh… Yes, that. Well then, carry on." Saturn walked away down the hall. Celio heaved a sigh of relief. He walked through the door; the secretary then instructed Celio to sit down to wait.

Inside Cyrus's office, he was having a meeting via satellite with two of his associates.

"Cyrus, what progress have you made on your little plan?" asked a husky voice.

"It's coming along well, everything is according to plan," Cyrus stated.

"But what if he learns too much?" a soft, sophisticated voice spoke up.

"It won't matter; it's set up so he won't be able to do anything about it," the man with light blue hair responded. "Now, what is Rocket doing? I haven't heard from him in days."

"I don't know," said the hardy voice, "but I think he's busy with his own affairs. Maybe he wants to go on a boating vacation?"

"I doubt that last part, but all things considered, it could be nothing. We'll be in contact with him soon enough," the sophisticated voice explained. "Is there anything else? If not, meeting adjourned."

After the call had ended, Cyrus buzzed the secretary, and she ushered Celio into the office.

"Sir?" Celio's voice echoed throughout the room.

"Come in, Celio. What progress have you made on the software?"

"I have the first draft ready, sir," Celio smiled nervously. He handed Cyrus the disk and he promptly inserted it in his laptop. He examined the programming, commented on some of the coding, made several suggestions, and then gave the disk back.

Celio left and made his way back to his office. When he reached his floor, the man named Saturn was talking with someone. There was something strange about him.

The programmer entered his office, went over to his computer chair, and plopped down in it. Celio glanced over to his filing cabinet, then back at his computer screen.

Over at the Mt. Silver Rocket Base, Silver had just finished his training for the day. He sat on a steel bench, hunched over in the Training Room, panting.

"Good work today, Silver," Giovanni complimented. "I think you're ready to go out on your first mission." Silver looked up at his father, still panting. "After you get cleaned up, meet me in my office. We'll have a little briefing there with Professor Nelson."

Giovanni left the room, and Silver commented sarcastically, "Oh, goody." A burst of white light streamed out of a Poké Ball on Silver's belt, and Meganium took form.

"Hey, there, Meganium!" Silver greeted his Pokémon. The Grass-type released its sweet-smelling aroma into the air; Silver took a deep breath and exhaled heartily. "Thanks, I needed that." Silver got his things and went back to his room. After putting everything away, he had to return Meganium.

"I'm going to have to return you to your Poké Ball for a little bit," Silver explained. The Herb Pokémon nodded and he withdrew it. Silver then walked down the main hallway and into his father's office. Giovanni sat in his leather chair, and Anthony had claimed the higher chair.

"Silver, come sit," said Giovanni. He cleared his throat and continued, "Now, as you already know, I think you're ready to take on some missions out in the field. I have your first one assigned for tomorrow. I'm going to send you two to Violet City over in Johto. I can't stress enough that this is a very important operation. And since it's your first, Silver, it wouldn't be a good idea to mess it up." Silver nodded in acknowledgement. "You're main objective is to search the area using your Stone while Professor Nelson studies the ruins. Anthony will give you more details when you leave tomorrow. You are dismissed."

"Thank you," Silver replied, and he left the room with Nelson. The redhead went back to his room to check up on the mysterious Stone of his. He opened one of the drawers of his nightstand to reveal the glowing blue gem. Its glow had decreased in intensity; Silver picked it up, and like a plant that had just been watered, it perked right back up and started glowing again. "Why do I get the feeling this Stone is going to be more than I bargained for?"

That night, Chase had set up camp on Route 9. He had returned all of his Pokémon, and he went to sleep under the stars. He lay there, unaware of what floated above him. It cast a very large shadow in the dim moonlight, despite its true size.

The figure started to glow with a light blue energy. A moment later, the same light surrounded Chase….


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter 16_

It was about six in the morning around the Mt. Silver Rocket Base, and Silver was dozing peacefully in his bed…until "Reveille" blasted through the speakers mounted on the walls. Silver woke with a start and fell out of bed. With the music blaring, he remarked, "Well, this is new."

After the song finished, Giovanni's voice echoed through the room: "Son, report to my office immediately."

With a groan, Silver got dressed. He put on his daily attire and departed for the door, but hesitated and returned to his nightstand. Opening a drawer, he picked up the Blue Stone, watching it erupt with light before he stuck it in a drawstring pouch. He placed it in his right jacket pocket, zipping it closed for safekeeping. "Can't forget this," he said to himself. Shortly, Silver entered his father's office.

"Hello, Silver. Are you ready for your first mission?" Giovanni asked.

"Yes, I am."

"Good… Professor Nelson told me you've been curious about the Stone I gave you. Sit down and I'll explain more. Also, take the Stone out, you don't need to hide it." He turned around in his leather chair to face the wall behind him as Silver set the Blue Stone on the desk. "You've noticed how it's been glowing lately. You see, like Nelson explained to you, there are four of these mysterious Stones in this world. They can sense when another of their kind is near, because their energy reacts with each other's."

Giovanni took a picture of a Persian down off the wall to reveal a safe. He entered his combination and opened it, moving out of the way to reveal a shining, yellow-colored Stone, surrounded by a few Moon Stones. In the back of the safe, though, Silver saw _a round gem that looked like a large diamond_ that was made up of hexagonal shapes.

"This is the Yellow Power Stone. It is the reason why your Stone has been glowing. Here, let me see it." Giovanni placed the Blue Stone next to its yellow cousin; they immediately stopped glowing. "Whenever two or more of the Stones are together, they will stop glowing. But, when they are separated…" Giovanni set the Blue Stone back on his desk, and they both began to glow again. "They start to respond once more."

"I get it," Silver declared. "But, why does it glow all around the base?"

"The Stones can sense each other from a long distance away. That is the purpose of your mission today. I want you to take the Blue Stone with you. We understand that one of the remaining Power Stones is in Violet City over in the Johto Region. I want you to go there and track it down."

"Yes, sir!"

"Now, go to Hanger Five and find Nelson and his team."

The hanger was expansive. Special Team Rocket helicopters and customized planes were stored here, and there were also bays for manufacturing airships.

"Good thing he built this into a mountain," Silver thought. "It wouldn't have fit anywhere else."

There were scientists and workers all around, some repairing helicopters, others studying blueprints for new aircraft. Silver was able to track down Nelson, who was also looking over some blueprints with some other scientists and workers. He glanced up to see Silver through his small glasses and stood up straight.

"Well, look who finally decided to join us," Nelson joked.

"Ha hah, good morning to you, too. So, what's up with these blueprints?" Silver pointed to the table.

"Giovanni has commissioned me to help build him a new, personal airship complete with everything he needs to carry out his plans. We've been working on it for a good while now." Nelson pointed upwards. Silver followed his finger to see a huge, metal skeleton.

"Wow, that's huge!" Silver exclaimed.

"Yes, yes, it's big. Follow me." Nelson walked away with Silver in tow.

The helicopter they were going to ride in was black and built slightly like an airplane, with rotors on each wing.

Soon, they were on their way to Violet City. During the flight, Silver's Stone still glowed a little, even though they were far away from the other Power Stone locked up in Giovanni's safe.

The pilot landed in a clearing on Route 36, a good distance away from town, but close to the Ruins of Alph. The team stepped out onto the grass and began to examine their new surroundings.

"All right," Silver said, "Nelson, I'll go on ahead into town."

Nelson glared at the boy through his rectangular glasses. "Come on, fellows!" he shouted. The ruins were supposed to be closed that day, so no one would be on the premises. Silver pulled out the Blue Stone from his pocket; it was glowing moderately. He didn't see it, but when Silver closed the drawstrings, the gem started dimming on and off.

Silver followed the dirt road that led into town, peaking in his pouch occasionally. There was another person walking up the trail towards him. This boy had his hands in his jacket pockets, had purple, shoulder length hair, and wore a blue jacket with black sleeves, along with dark gray pants. They exchanged a passing glance, and then continued on their way.

Eventually, Silver made it into Violet's city limits. He felt no one was watching, so he checked the Blue Stone again; it was glowing brighter, meaning that another had to be nearby. He looked under rocks, in bushes, in the river, under some Geodude, and near the Sprout Tower.

The Sprout Tower rose high into the sky in the northern part of town. Beautiful pine trees and green grass surrounded it, and pretty pink flowers were planted along the foundation; just south from there was the Trainer School. Looking up at the tower brought back memories of his first journey through Johto, when he treated his Pokémon poorly. Silver couldn't help but remember what happened on the top floor of that tower:

An old man stood a few yards in front of Silver and returned his knocked out Hoothoot. He was bald and wore a blue robe.

"You are very rude," said the sage. "No self respecting Pokémon Trainer would treat his Pokémon so horribly."

Silver scowled. "Say what you want. If a Pokémon isn't strong enough to win in a battle, you're better off not putting up with it." As he left, Silver passed another Trainer garbed in a red jacket, yellow shorts, and a yellow and black-colored hat, who approached the sage in hopes of having a match.

Silver felt ashamed of himself for treating not just his Pokémon, but also everyone else that way. Turning his attention back to the mission at hand, he continued on with the effort of finding the hidden Power Stone.

The search led Silver past the Pokémon Center and almost out into Route 31. That's when he saw a shimmering light out of the corner of his eye. It was coming from under a cluster of trees, the Stone covered in dark shade.

"Got it." The light was red, meaning it was the Red Stone. He approached it, but stopped a few feet away. Something wasn't right; it felt like he was being watched. Silver squinted into the shade and made out a figure hiding behind a tree. "Come out, I know you're there!" Silver ordered.

"Ah, good eye, Silver," said a familiar voice. Out from the darkness stepped Milver with a smug grin on his face. "I knew you had a Power Stone. It was only a matter of time until you started searching for the others." Milver picked up the Red Stone in his left hand.

"Yeah, so be a good little clone and hand it over."

"Like I'd hand over this wondrous Stone to you. But, you can hand yours over to me."

"What is it you want with them?"

"If I went into detail, your small mind wouldn't be able to handle it all." Silver just scowled. "So, give it up."

"No matter what you say, I'm not going to do anything to help you!"

"Silver, my goal is to simply make room for the more advanced, the more important beings. If you join me, you could be part of a glorious future."

"That isn't a future I would ever want to be apart of."

"You don't understand. Humans are a plague upon this world; once they have consumed everything in one area, they move to the next, until everything is gone. And what's worse is they have enslaved the Pokémon race, forcing them to do their bidding."

"No, I think _you're_ the one who doesn't understand. Not all people take more than what they need, and we certainly haven't 'enslaved' the Pokémon. The ones that we do catch are our friends and partners—we help each other! Even the wild Pokémon acknowledge that."

"Well, then there really isn't any way of changing your mind. So be it." Milver grasped his Stone tightly, making it glow. His eyes were illuminated with light blue that quickly changed to red. Before Silver knew it, the psychic had launched a red ball of energy at him. He threw his arms up to protect himself, but the unexpected happened: a blue force field had sprung up around Silver, shielding him from the blow like before. "It seems that Stone has taken a liking to you," Milver remarked. He launched more blasts despite them just bouncing off the blue dome.

"What is this?" thought Silver. But as soon as he put his guard down, the shield dissipated. Milver reached out his arm and grabbed Silver around the neck with his power.

"Give it to me, now!" Milver demanded. Silver's reaction to the attack was trying to pry off what was choking him, but he couldn't grab the psychic energy. In an attempt to get help, Silver reached for his belt, but it was no use. Milver had ensnared his arm, too. He tried to free it, unintentionally sending a blast of blue energy at Milver. It knocked him over on his back, making him lose his concentration. Silver didn't know what to think, but he wasn't about to waste this opportunity.

Now free from Milver's grasp, Silver took a Poké Ball and tossed it in the air. After a flash of white light, his Magneton appeared.

"Thunderbolt!" Silver commanded. The Electric-, Steel-type shot a current of electricity at Milver, who cried in pain. "Again!" It shot another Thunderbolt attack; Milver knelt on one knee with his hand lifted to shield himself. He caught the electricity and gathered it into a ball, then flung it back at Magneton. Milver put the Red Stone in his pocket and held his left arm towards the Pokémon, surrounding it in blue light before throwing it to the ground.

"You haven't won yet," Milver panted. "I'll be back for that Stone!" Much to Silver's surprise, Milver rose into the air and began to float away. "Farewell for now!"

"Cheater!" Silver remarked. "Magneton! Thunderbolt once more!" Silver's Pokémon pulled itself together and shot a bolt of electricity up in the air, but Milver skillfully dodged it. Without another word, the clone flew over the trees, out of sight. Silver thanked and returned his Magneton, then went back to the airship.

No one was around the helicopter; Nelson and the rest of the group were still in the ruins. Silver made his way through the gates and found the little scientist in one of the buildings, examining an artifact with a magnifying glass.

"Nelson," said Silver.

"What is it?" he growled.

"I'm done here, so when you're finished, round up the men and let's report back to base."

"I have already found what was needed. Go back and wait for us at the helicopter."

Silver left and Nelson went farther into the ruins to find the others. He walked around a bend and disappeared from sight. "S-Silver!" he suddenly exclaimed. But the boy was already gone.

As Silver approached the helicopter, he noticed his Stone brighten. He looked at it, confused, but then realized it meant another Stone might be nearby.

Silver was making his way back to the ruins when he saw Nelson approaching with the others. The purple-haired man looked a bit nervous, and he insisted that they leave. Silver wanted to go back to the ruins, but then he saw that the Stone had dimmed to how it had been before.

Later, back at the base, Nelson sat in Giovanni's office, both he and his boss looking a bit impatient.

"Where is he?" Anthony thought to himself. Giovanni stared at him; it felt like he was burning a hole in the poor scientist's head. Nelson smiled nervously and looked behind at the door. Finally, Silver arrived; Nelson became even more annoyed when he saw how Silver sauntered into the room.

"Hello, Father!" Silver said with a grin. "What's up, Nelson?"

"Silver, I would like for you to explain what happened on your mission today," Giovanni said sternly.

"Well, let's see… While Nelson was off examining the ruins," he explained, "I went into town to try and find the Stone." He paused for a moment. "Unfortunately, my Stone never detected anything."

Giovanni sighed. "Then our information was wrong. We will continue to search, so be ready for another mission soon. You are dismissed."

"Hey, Silver," Nelson said to him in the hall. "Are you still hanging on to that Stone?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Just curious." Nelson turned and walked down the hall, heading towards the hangers. Silver shot a confused look at him, but just shrugged and went to the Training Room to practice.

****************


	17. Chapter 17

_Chapter 17_

After three days of trekking across Route 9 and Route 10, Chase was wondering just how long this detour would take. His four Pokémon were walking behind him as they made their way up a steep hill surrounded by woods. At last, he could see the end of the trees ahead and pulled out his rolled-up map.

"Let's see…" he muttered. "It says that Beige Town is just through here!"

With newfound strength, Chase ran ahead with his team following close behind. Caterpie rode on Pidgeotto's back as Charmander and Poliwag scuttled along. They emerged from the trees to see a huge, lush valley with a crystal clear blue sky above it.

"Wow… Hey, look down there!" Chase called as he pointed into the valley. "That must be the town!" Indeed, in the middle of the valley rested the peaceful little village of Beige Town.

Charmander and the rest cried out joyfully; Caterpie even did a little jig. Chase plopped down in the cool green grass and looked up at the sky.

"So, how about we train a little?" Charmander nodded in agreement, but Poliwag, Caterpie, and Pidgeotto fell to the ground jokingly.

Chase looked at them and, stifling a laugh, remarked, "What a bunch of Slakoth. Okay Charmander, let's start!" He thought for a moment before exclaiming, "Use Flamethrower!" Charmander saluted and turned away, opening its mouth wide. A puff of black smoke came out and floated away in the breeze.

"Um, could you try that again, please?" the Trainer asked. Charmander opened its mouth a second time, but another puff of smoke came out. "Hmm, that's peculiar. I know you used it twice in that battle we had with Tyson. Maybe it was only because your Blaze ability was activated." Chase crossed his arms and thought with Charmander mimicking him. "Well, I don't know what the deal is, but let's train so you can learn how to use Flamethrower without Blaze!"

"Charmander!" it exclaimed.

"Great! Now, let's go; we should get to the Pokémon Center." Everyone perked up and huddled close to Chase. He chuckled and returned them.

After he had descended to the bottom of the valley, Chase made his way into town. Wild Pidgey and Spearow flew overhead, and Bellsprout helped their Trainers tend to their flowers. Every building seemed to have some sort of plant out in front, be it just a potted plant, or a full-fledged garden, and the air smelled fresh and sweet.

Chase found the Pokémon Center located on Main Street; inside, he gave his Pokémon to Nurse Joy. As he glanced around the lobby during the wait, he noticed a computer that the Pokémon Center supplied for Trainers to use. He sat down and thought for a moment, then typed in a website to go to.

After a few minutes, Nurse Joy brought Chase's Poké Balls back to the front desk and called his name. The Trainer pushed out from the computer desk, retrieved his red and white spheres, put them onto his belt, and went back to the computer. A stream of white light came flying out of one of the balls, Charmander taking form.

"Charmander!" it said as a hello.

"Hi!" he replied. "Guess what? Before my birthday, I was reading this story someone wrote." Charmander, curious, hopped up onto Chase's lap and gazed at the screen with wide blue eyes. "I have a feeling you would like it. You'll never guess who the two main characters are." Charmander whirled around and looked Chase in the eyes.

"Char?" it asked quickly.

"A new Trainer and his Charmander!" The Fire-type's face lit up. "But, you know, we should get to training. Helping you learn Flamethrower is more important than reading a story." Charmander leaped off his lap as Chase stood up.

The two of them made their way to the town's park. It was a large area with a fountain located in the middle. Chase found a nice wide-open spot, clear of any obstacles, and let Poliwag out.

"Charmander, we need to get you used to using it without your ability." Chase turned to Poliwag and knelt down to its eye level. "I need you to put up a good fight for him, all right?" It nodded. "Ready…" Charmander and Poliwag took their positions. "Set… Go! Poliwag, use Bubble!"

Poliwag shot its attack at Charmander; the Lizard Pokémon stood like a rock and stared into the flurry of bubbles, waiting for a command from its Trainer.

"Ember!" Chase instructed. The Fire-type shot red-hot embers that popped all the bubbles. "Great! Poliwag, how about a Double Slap!"

The Tadpole Pokémon ran up and whirled around to try and slap Charmander in the face with its tail. It ducked, but Poliwag quickly redirected its attack and was able to land a good blow to the side of Charmander's head, making it fall.

The training session had attracted the attention of another Trainer. He looked to be about sixteen years old with curly brown hair, and he wore a white t-shirt with blue jeans. He sat on a bench a good distance away, watching Poliwag with intrigue.

Charmander had gotten up off the ground and tried attacking with a Metal Claw, but Poliwag countered with Double Slap.

"Bubble!" Chase ordered. The Water-type let out a burst of bubbles. Being hit by the super effective attack, Charmander could feel an inferno light in its belly. Poliwag stiffened as the opponent rose off the ground slowly, and the Fire-type opened its mouth to launch an attack. It ducked for cover as a light began to appear from the bowls of Charmander's gut; but before it could use its move, the Trainer who was observing the battle came running over.

"Wait!" he cried. Startled, Charmander closed its mouth and accidentally swallowed the fire as the Trainer came rushing to Poliwag's side.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Chase exclaimed.

"This Poliwag has the potential of being a great Pokémon Ping-Pong player!" the boy explained. "I was watching you battle, and I saw just how good this little guy is."

"Okay, but who are you?"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I forgot to introduce myself," he replied sheepishly. "The name's Jeremy, and I am a Pokémon Ping-Pong competitor."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Chase! So, what's Pokémon Ping-Pong?"

"You don't know? Well, I'll be happy to explain! It's a competition where a Trainer and a Pokémon compete in a two-on-two ping-pong tournament. And this fellow right here looks as if he'd be really good at it! Plus, there's a competition here in town today! If I were you, I would enter. There's even a cash prize for first place!"

"Really? Well, I just might. That could be a good way to train Poliwag!" Charmander approached Chase and tugged on his pant leg. "Oh, um… Here, let's enter the competition, and afterwards, we'll get back to training you to use Flamethrower. How does that sound?" Charmander thought it over and agreed.

"Great!" Jeremy exclaimed. "Well, then, I guess I'll be seeing you at the competition, then. It's going to start in about an hour over at the Contest Hall. It's pretty easy to find, it's on Main Street. Registration closes in thirty minutes, so you better get over there, fast!"

"We'll head over there in a little bit. See you there! Thanks for telling us!" Chase smiled. Jeremy waved goodbye and walked away.

Charmander hung its head and looked down at the ground. Chase chuckled, attracting the little Pokémon's attention.

"Hey, don't worry. Like I said, after the competition's over, we'll get back to training, okay?" Charmander nodded in response and exchanged its gloomy expression for a happy one. "Let's head over to the Contest Hall!"

Like Jeremy had said, it was located on Main Street, a few blocks down from the Pokémon Center. Through the front doors, there was a lobby with a reception desk. A woman was sitting at the desk and gladly registered Chase and Poliwag for the competition.

Just inside the gymnasium, the tournament bracket was displayed. Staff members were tending to the board so it would be ready for the competition. There were many ping-pong tables set up in individual squared-off areas, and people sat in the seats around them, all waiting anxiously for the tournament to begin.

Chase found a place to sit on the bleachers; he and Poliwag were very excited, wondering what the competition would be like. Charmander sat and glanced around, noticing that a Poliwrath was standing close by. The frightening Water-type looked at Charmander, who squealed and ran to hide behind Chase's legs.

"Hi!" came a familiar voice. It was Jeremy, the Poliwrath must have been his.

"Hi, there, Jeremy!" Chase exclaimed. "Wow, is that yours?"

"Yep. It's one of the best ping-pong players I've ever had the pleasure of competing with."

"Ah, so that's why you took a liking to my Poliwag."

"You got it. But, um, is your Charmander okay?" Jeremy pointed to the quivering Pokémon.

"Yeah, he's just a little spooked, that's all. Here, return, Charmander." Chase pulled off its Poké Ball from his belt and returned it.

"So, you're all signed up?"

"Just got it done. This looks like it'll be fun!"

"It is, trust me. It gets pretty crazy out there. By the way, do you know the rules of the game?"

"I read a little flyer I was given."

"Okay, just so you know, your partner can't use any special moves; in Poliwag's case, for example, you can't use Bubble. The rest of the rules are the same as normal ping-pong: Hit the ball after it bounces, knocking it past your opponent to score a point. The first one to four points wins."

"Sounds simple enough. Thanks!"

"Hey, no problem!"

When the competition had begun, Chase was one of the first competitors to go to their tables. He grabbed his paddle and swung it playfully as Poliwag hopped up on the table. Their opponent was a male Trainer with his Alakazam. The referee whistled and signaled for the game to start.

Chase's opponent served; the little ping-pong ball went flying to the other side and bounced, then it was sent towards Poliwag, who slapped it back.

The Alakazam countered by hitting the ball with one of its spoons. Chase returned it to the other Trainer, who tried making the ball curve to throw Chase off. Poliwag came to the rescue with a powerful hit that sent the ball bouncing off the table, way too fast to be returned.

"Point to Chase and Poliwag!" called the referee.

"Wow, that was great, Poliwag!" Chase exclaimed. The other Trainer and his Alakazam narrowed their eyes in anger and then served again.

Eventually, Chase and Poliwag had won their match. They advanced higher and higher through the bracket, both of them having a blast. It was more fun than a barrel of Monferno!

It seemed Jeremy was advancing, as well. He and his Poliwrath worked together stupendously. Together, they made one lean, mean, curly-haired, ping-pong-playing machine.

After many well-played matches, it had come down to the two finalists. The announcer's voice echoed through the hall, saying, "And now, the moment we've all been waiting for… It's time to announce our two finalists! The first is Jeremy and his Poliwrath! These two have competed in Pokémon Ping-Pong Competitions all around the Kanto Region, and have their sights set on the championship!" The crowd cheered, and Poliwrath flexed its muscles for show as it and Jeremy stood at the ping-pong table. "The second finalist is a first-time competitor who was somehow able to make it this far! Give it up for Chase and his Poliwag!" Everyone cheered again. Chase waved and Poliwag jumped up and down excitedly.

"See? I told you your Poliwag was good!" Jeremy commented from across the table.

"Beginners luck," Chase shot back. The other Trainer grinned.

Chase clutched his paddle in his hand as Poliwag danced happily. Jeremy did some warm-up swings as Poliwrath did a few push-ups.

"Ready!" said the referee. Both Trainers looked each other in the eyes and waited in anticipation until the referee called for them to begin.

The game started with Jeremy serving the ball. He sent it hurtling to the other side of the table, but Chase easily returned it. Jeremy hit the ball again, making it bounce right past Chase's head with a whistle.

"Point, Jeremy and Poliwrath!" the referee announced.

"Great shot!" commented Chase. "You're really good."

Jeremy replied, "Thanks, you're not so bad yourself!" He served the ball again, but this time, Chase was able to hit it back. Jeremy returned like last time, but put a spin on it and made the ball curve just out of Chase's reach. Poliwag covered for him and slapped it with its tail, sending it flying at Poliwrath, who punched the ball. Fortunately, Chase was able to return it.

Jeremy let Poliwrath hit the ball again, it hurtling towards Chase. He slapped the ball hard, and made it bounce right past Jeremy.

"Point to Chase and Poliwag!" the referee announced.

"Impressive," said Jeremy.

Chase served the ball, and Jeremy returned it. It went back and forth until Jeremy scored another point. Poliwrath chuckled in delight.

Chase served again. This time, he was able to score a point. The ball went whizzing past Poliwrath's head; the Pokémon began to stomp angrily, but Jeremy calmed it down.

Next, Jeremy served the ball, and Poliwag returned it. Poliwrath punched it as hard as it could, sending it bouncing past both Chase and Poliwag.

It was now three to two. One more point and Jeremy would win. Chase had to pull out nothing short of a miracle if he wanted to win. He served the ball, making it bounce to Poliwrath. The Water-type clobbered the ball, it whizzing past Poliwag.

"Point to Jeremy and Poliwrath! Game, set, match!"

"And there you have it folks! We have a winner!" exclaimed the announcer.

Chase sighed and walked over to Jeremy with Poliwag waddling behind him. He smiled as he held his hand out and said, "Good game."

"Yeah, good game," Jeremy replied, shaking it.

At the award ceremony, Jeremy received the first place prize money, and Chase was awarded the runner-up cash prize.

Afterwards, Chase was outside of the building, talking with Charmander. The small Pokémon seemed to be quite excited.

"Hey, hey, calm down, Charmander!" said Chase.

"Char! Charmander, Char!" the Pokémon shouted as it eagerly tugged on Chase's pants.

"I know I promised you we'd train some more after the competition, but I told Jeremy I'd meet him out here. He said he wanted to tell me something… Speaking of which, there he is!"

"Hey, Chase! There you are!" exclaimed Jeremy.

"Hi, Jeremy! So, what was it you wanted to tell me?"

"Well, seeing your Poliwag in action got me thinking. Are you going to compete in the other competitions?"

"Other competitions?" Chase looked confused.

"Yeah, they hold four or five around this time every year all over Kanto. This was one of them."

"Oh, I didn't know. I guess if Poliwag wants to compete again, I'll enter the next one I happen to find."

"Okay. And who knows, maybe we'll run into each other again."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Chase grinned. Jeremy looked down at his watch and noticed the time.

"Well, I think I should be going. Got to go over to the Pokémon Center and then get ready to leave. So, where do you plan on heading next?"

"Oh, uh, I'm heading for Lavender," Chase answered.

"I suggest you head through Rock Tunnel on the other side of town. It will take you to Lavender Town. Just make sure you stay on the main path in there."

"Okay, I will. Thank you!"

"Think nothing of it. Bye!"

As Jeremy walked away, Charmander began pulling on Chase's pants again. "Oh, all right, let's go train!" Chase exclaimed, both of them running off to the park.

Meanwhile, over at Team Rocket's headquarters, Silver had been training his team. Everyone seemed to be coming along great. There was Megenium, Weavile, Gengar, Magneton, Alakazam, and Crobat. They were all working out in one way or another. Alakazam meditated while levitating as Weavile and Gengar battled it out, and the others launched attacks back and forth at each other.

Silver's Crobat had recently evolved from being a Golbat due to Silver's change in heart towards his Pokémon. Now he and his Crobat were good friends, as he was with all of his partners now.

Silver was watching from one of the metal benches when his PokéGear started playing its ring tone.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Silver," said Giovanni. "I want you to come to my office. I want to discuss something with you."

"Okay, I'll be right—" Silver heard a click. "There…" He hung up his phone and sighed.

"Hey, guys!" Everyone looked at him, Alakazam opening one eye as it levitated. "How about we all take a rest?" Immediately, all his Pokémon relaxed. He returned them and exited the Training Room, proceeding down the hall until he reached his father's office. He knocked on the door and it opened.

"Silver, I want to discuss a little bit about your next mission." Giovanni leaned forward and put his hands together on his desk. "Tomorrow, I'm sending you to the outskirts of Beige Town. There you will find Rock Tunnel; there is a group of our men stationed there that are in the middle of an excavation."

"So, you want me to rendezvous with them and check on their progress?"

"You catch on quick. The man in charge will explain everything to you upon your arrival." Giovanni handed Silver a picture of the man. He was wearing the normal black-colored Team Rocket uniform and hat, and had some five o'clock shadow on his face. He seemed rather annoyed, and his eyelids drooped slightly, making him look tired.

"All right, got it," Silver confirmed.

"Good. You are dismissed." Giovanni opened the sliding doors with a press of a button on his desk, and Silver left to prepare.

****************


	18. Chapter 18

_Chapter 18_

The next day, Chase was still trying to help Charmander learn Flamethrower. They were out in the park again and Charmander was in a battle against Pidgeotto.

"Quick Attack!" Chase called to his Flying-type from the sidelines. The Bird Pokémon burst toward Charmander with a stream of white light behind it. "Charmander, use Flamethrower!" The Fire-type let out a large puff of smoke, accidentally breathed some of it in, and started coughing. Pidgeotto couldn't stop in time and slammed into it, sending the poor lizard reeling backwards. "Guys, I think that's enough training for now!" Charmander, dazed, nodded in agreement as it teetered from side-to-side.

Chase returned them and headed back to the Pokémon Center to get everyone healed for the trip to Lavender Town.

"Hello!" he greeted Nurse Joy. The pink-haired woman replied with a hello of her own, and took his Poké Balls to heal the team. After waiting, the nurse gave his Pokémon back, and then after saying thank you, he left to prepare.

Outside on a bench, Chase took some inventory on what was in his backpack. He laid some of his extra clothes out and lifted the empty lantern from the bottom of the bag, the one he had picked it up back at Mt. Moon.

"Well, this'll come in handy going through Rock Tunnel!" he said. "Better go get some kerosene for it, though." He gathered up his stuff, and then went shopping for more provisions and fuel for the lantern.

At that time, Silver was preparing for his mission. He packed light, so it didn't take him long to head out to the hanger.

Along the way, he ran into Anthony Nelson. The short little scientist had been acting strangely the past few days; he would get nervous whenever Silver would try to talk to him. Such was the case this time. Nelson looked away as the boy greeted him in the hall.

"Hey, what's up with you lately?" asked Silver. "You've been acting nervous about something."

"W-what? N-nervous? What are you talking about?" Nelson sputtered.

"You know what I'm talking about. You've been acting strangely ever since we got back from the Ruins of Alph. What's going on?"

"Nothing. Everything's perfectly fine!"

"No, something happened before we left. What was it?"

Anthony heaved a sigh before grimly saying: "Okay, if you must know, I was confronted by that clone of yours. He told me that he wants the Blue Power Stone."

"I know he does. But why did he come to you?"

"He tried to convince me to take it from you. Of course, I would never steal the Stone; Giovanni would have my head for it. Although, I was frightened, so I had to agree. Before he left, he warned me not to tell you any of this. If I did, he'd come back to get me. I'm afraid he will, because I don't plan to give him the Stone."

"Thanks for telling me. Don't worry; I won't let that deranged lunatic get you. But, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get to the hangers and catch my ride."

"Hold on a second!" Nelson said quickly. "There's something I need to tell you about that time back at the Lake of Rage. I'm sorry I didn't help you back then. I didn't know what to do, I was so overwhelmed."

"It's all right," Silver assured him. "What happened happened, and we can't change that. But I forgive you."

"Thank you," he smiled.

"You're welcome."

Soon, the Trainer was on his way to Beige Town. The voyage didn't take long, and they touched down near the Beige entrance of Rock Tunnel. Silver told the pilot to meet him and the rest of the team on the other side at the Lavender entrance, since he was told the squad could carry their load out easier that way.

At first, it was very dark in Rock Tunnel, but soon Silver was able to locate the squad in a side tunnel, and everyone was wearing miner's hats and working to free a rock deposit. There was one Rocket member standing back behind the rest, overseeing their progress. He had five o'clock shadow and yawned before noticing Silver.

"Hello!" Silver greeted him. "I'm Silver, Giovanni's son."

"Oh, hello, there!" said the Rocket. "Glad to meet'cha! The name's Butch."

"Butch, huh? Isn't there another Team Rocket member named Butch?"

"Nah, the guy you're thinking of is Biff. You know, the one that's always teamed up with Cassidy? But, anyway, you're here to help oversee the mission, huh?"

"Yeah, that's what I was told to do."

"Well, you're going to have it easy. We're just about done. There was a deposit of Moon Stone down here, so we were sent to retrieve it. We're just now loading up the last of it. Then all we've got to do is get it to the chopper."

"I told the pilot to wait for us at the Lavender entrance."

"Great! We'll be back at headquarters in less than an hour!"

Back in Beige Town, Chase had stocked up and headed to Rock Tunnel. Getting ready to enter the dark cavern, he lit the lantern and let Charmander out of its Poké Ball.

"Are you ready?" Chase asked. Charmander nodded enthusiastically, and they began their journey into the network of passages.

Meanwhile, deep inside, Team Rocket had loaded up all of the Moon Stone. Since they were all packed up, Silver would lead them to the Lavender Town side of the tunnel. But as he started out into the darkness, he stubbed his toe on a rock and yelped in pain. His voice carried throughout the cave's deep and winding tunnels.

In a narrow corridor, Chase and Charmander were walking; the little Pokémon was in the lead, but it was acting as if it were afraid of something.

"Aw, what are you scared for?" Chase asked. "Are you afraid there's a monster in here?" Charmander looked back at Chase and nodded. "Don't worry, there's nothing in here except a few Zubat. Nothing's going to pop out screaming at you." Just then, they both heard a ghostly wail echo through the cave. It sent chills rippling down both of their spines. "Then again, I could be wrong!"

Chase and Charmander quickened their strides, turning down a side tunnel and eventually coming upon a room with men in black uniforms. Butch whirled around to face the newcomer, his eyes wide-open in surprise.

"An intruder?!" he blurted out.

"Hey!" Chase shouted. "You Rockets are up to no good, I just know it!"

"Thanks, Captain Obvious, but we can't have you messing around in our business here!" Butch recognized Chase from the times they battled at Mt. Moon and Nugget Bridge and plucked a Poké Ball off of his belt. He turned to face the remaining Rocket grunts in the room and ordered, "Well, don't just stand there! Get that cart out, now!"

The Rockets hurried out toward the Lavender entrance with the Moon Stone. Chase tried to pursue them, but Butch released his Raticate from the ball to act as a distraction.

"Can't have you running off, now can I?"

Charmander hopped in front of Chase and took up a defensive position, then its Trainer ordered: "Use Ember!" The Fire-type Pokémon expelled a storm of flames that flew right into Raticate's face, sending it reeling backwards.

Butch scowled. "Hyper Fang!" Raticate regained its balance and ran at Charmander with glowing-white fangs, but the little Pokémon skillfully sidestepped the attack.

"Metal Claw!" Chase shouted. Charmander's claws shone, and it slashed its hand against its foe's back.

"Darn it," Butch muttered. "Use Tackle!" Raticate whirled around, catching Charmander off guard and full-body tackled it. The Fire-type was pinned to the ground. "Now, pick it up with your teeth and throw it against the wall!"

Chase watched in horror as Charmander was thrown into the rock. It started to get up, but Butch ordered Raticate to use another Tackle. Charmander was rammed into the wall, taking heavy damage, but was able to kick Raticate off.

"Use Ember!"

Charmander took a deep breath and dug deep within itself. It opened its mouth, and from the fiery depths of its belly came a powerful stream of fire. It completely engulfed Raticate, instantly knocking it out.

"No!" Butch cried angrily as he pulled another ball off of his belt with one hand while he returned Raticate with the other.

"You did it, Charmander! You used Flamethrower!" Chase declared excitedly. The two of them were overcome with joy.

But Butch's patience was running short, and he stopped the celebration by releasing his blue and purple-colored Bat Pokémon.

"Hey, Charmander," Chase said, "how about you let someone else take this one?" Charmander agreed and stepped back, then its Trainer tossed another Poké Ball into the air. "Pidgeotto, I choose you!"

"Use Supersonic!" Butch commanded. Zubat launched a wave of supersonic energy at Pidgeotto, but the bird dodged. Instead, Charmander was hit, and it started to teeter around.

"Uh oh," Chase murmured as he watched Charmander stumble about. "Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack!"

The Flying-type flew forward and rammed the enemy head on. Zubat fell to the ground, knocked out; Butch, fuming, returned his Pokémon. Charmander was just now recovering from the Supersonic, and Chase returned Pidgeotto.

Butch had already started running down the other tunnel, calling as he went around a corner, "See ya later, twerp!" Chase and Charmander gave pursuit, reaching the exit only to see a black helicopter disappear over the trees.

"Darn it!" Chase exclaimed, extinguishing his lantern. "Those guys really tick me off… But, at least we made it to Lavender." Charmander smiled and said its name happily. Still a little upset about letting Team Rocket get away, Chase and his partner started down the road that led into town.

****************


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Chase walked out of the Pokémon Center in Lavender, his team fully healed, and took a look around town.

As he approached Lavender's most famous landmark, Pokémon Tower, he spotted a familiar face. Over near the entrance was the little old man he met outside of Saffron City, Yosocky. He was wearing a gray shirt under a yellow Japanese-style garb that hung down over his black pants, and his gray hair spiked out off his head. Yosocky noticed Chase approaching and turned to greet him.

"Why, hello there!" Yosocky exclaimed.

"I see you made it to Lavender all right."

"Yes, I have my ways. But, more importantly, how is your journey going?"

"It's going great! My Charmander learned how to use a powerful move just today!"

"Good! Is it still eating dirt?"

"No, he's moved past that."

"That's good. I was just now visiting Pokémon Tower. Apparently, there are some Trainers in there trying to stop a trouble-making Gastly, but they've turned it into a competition to catch it. I remember a time when Trainers never competed against each other to capture Pokémon in that fashion."

"Well, let me give it a try. Maybe I can bring this little 'competition' to an end."

"Go right ahead."

With that, Chase walked into the tower. In the reception room, he could hear a commotion coming from the next floor, so he ascended the stairs to the right of him. He saw about five Trainers tossing Poké Balls at the ghost like there was no tomorrow.

Chase let Charmander out and told it to lure Gastly closer to him. It nodded and snuck towards the Ghost-type.

As Gastly bobbed around the red and white spheres, it noticed Charmander at the foot of the crowd; it mimicked the Gas Pokémon by sticking its tongue out. This angered the Gas Pokémon, and it chased the little Fire-type, making the Trainers run away and scream in fright as it passed by.

The two reached Chase, and he called out for Charmander to use Flamethrower. His Pokémon engulfed Gastly in its flame, knocking it out. Quickly, the boy grabbed an empty Poké Ball from his belt and chucked it. Gastly was inhaled into the sphere, and it wiggled back and forth with the button in the middle flashing red. After a few seconds, a deep chime was heard, signaling the Pokémon was caught. The other Trainers moaned in disappointment as he walked over to pick up his Poké Ball.

"Sorry, guys!" said Chase. He returned Charmander and descended the staircase to the first floor, then went back outside. Yosocky was waiting for him there.

"Were you able to catch the Gastly?" he inquired.

"Yeah! Now I've got a Ghost-type on my team!"

"Good!"

As they walked down the sidewalk, a strong breeze blew from behind Chase. He braced himself, expecting to be blown into the air by a shockwave. But when nothing happened and the wind died down, he turned to see Yosocky looking back at him with intrigue.

"What was all that about?" Yosocky asked.

"I've been experiencing some strange happenings this past week or so."

"Oh? Could you elaborate?"

"Um… It's hard to explain, but sometimes I feel these strong gusts of wind before I'm thrown into the air by a shockwave."

Yosocky smiled and said, "Here, follow me to my home. I have a little story to tell you."

Nodding, Chase followed him to his house. Yosocky's humble abode was styled like a traditional Japanese home. Inside, they took their shoes off, and Yosocky showed Chase to a table in the living room.

"Have you ever heard of the Pokémon named Arceus?" asked the old man.

"Yeah, isn't that the one who's thought to have created the world?"

"Yes, but it in fact did not create this world. That is but a lie. In the beginning, Arceus was the most perfect of Pokémon; it was able to be all elemental types at once, but it became arrogant about its superior powers, and that notion caused a conflict in its personality.

"In the delusion that it should rule the world, Arceus started to cause mass chaos, and as punishment, it was banished into a dark void, being separated from all but one of its elements. These extracted types became Plates that Arceus could use to become one of the eighteen types at a time; if it were to lose all of them, it would die, because the Plates were still apart of Arceus. And being banished, it could only return to this dimension for short time periods.

"Arceus exacerbated its internal conflict, gradually becoming more divided, and its personalities were split; Arceus's anger and hatred were manifested into a physical form of its own. Both had to share the same Elemental Plates since together they equaled a whole.

"The original half realized that the other would try to take revenge by destroying the earth. In an attempt to stop itself, Arceus began to combat its other side to draw its attention away from our world. The battle lasted for a long time, but eventually, the first side learned that if it were to fall asleep, the other would have no choice but to do the same. So, Arceus did just that; it went to sleep, and in doing so, sealed away its other side and kept all of the Plates to itself.

"However, sensing a disturbance, it awoke soon after to stop a major calamity in the town of Michina by diverting a huge meteor from destroying it. Arceus then entrusted five of its Elemental Plates to a man named Damos to help cultivate the barren wasteland he called home. Eventually, its Plates were given back, and Arceus returned to its own dimension to resume sleeping and continue to suppress its other half.

"While the original was awake, however, the second had been scheming. It created mystical stones, known as the 'Great Power Stones'. Using these, it could easily travel back and forth between the two dimensions without the stipulation of the time limit. This wouldn't extend to the first half, so if it were to follow and go to sleep, the original Arceus would be sent back to the abyss when its time was up, unable to keep the other restrained.

"Fortunately, the first half fell asleep before Arceus could use the Stones, sealing it away. No one knows what exactly became of the Stones after that, but later they were found and separated, for it is said that if they were all brought together, they would summon the other half of Arceus back into this world.

"Now, you may be wondering what my point is." Chase nodded. "Well, part of the legend explains that three of the four Power Stones could choose a human being to use its power, but only a person with a righteous heart would be worthy enough to be eligible. These people were known as 'Chasers,' for they would track down evil and preserve peace. These Chasers played a role in preventing Arceus's second half from entering our world by keeping the Stones separate. It is said that one of these heroes could sense the two Arceus feuding, so what you've told me has led me to believe two things: one being that Arceus has awoken and is struggling with its other self again; the second being that you are one of the heroes chosen to protect this world."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Back it up a little. You think I'm some sort of 'chosen one'? I'm barely even old enough to be a Pokémon Trainer!"

"Ah, but you are very mature for your age."

"It's too hard to believe."

"Well, belief or disbelief lies with you. I just have one favor to ask before you resume your journey."

Chase stood up and looked puzzled. "What is it?"

"If you ever come across one of the Stones, bring it back to me. That is all I ask."

"Okay, I will." He thanked the elderly man and said goodbye. Outside, he took out his map and decided that he should head for Celadon City. Surely the way through Saffron was open to traffic by now.

But first, Chase decided to take a look at his brand new Gastly. He took its Poké Ball and tossed it in the air. A moment later, the ghost took form and floated in midair. "Gaaaaastlyyyy!" it exclaimed.

"Hi, there! I'm your new Trainer!"

Seeing the lack of fright in Chase's demeanor, Gastly turned to the side and uttered its name as if to say, "Darn it."

"Ha, you can't scare me that easily." Chase moved a little closer and said, "Hey, you look beat. Let's get you to a Pokémon Center so you can get all patched up." The Ghost-type became a little friendlier, and the two headed toward the Center together.

A few miles north of Pewter City, Jason and his Salamence were flying high in the air, just now reaching the Kanto Region. Down below, he could see what looked like a construction site. It seemed like the beginnings of something large was being built.

"Now why are they building something like that way out here?" he wondered. But Jason and his Pokémon continued south.

Eventually, they were flying over Route 3. Everything seemed to be all right, until a black Team Rocket helicopter appeared on the horizon. "Darn it! They found us!" Jason cried out. He told Salamence to land by the edge of the woods. Jason returned the Dragon-type and tried to hide under the trees.

It wasn't long before the enemy helicopter landed, and when the noise died down, Jason could hear someone yelling. "Go, go, go!"

Jason ducked behind some rocks as he heard footsteps trampling through the brush. Just when he thought they were gone, he noticed a boy with red shoulder-length hair had come around from behind. Upon seeing him, Jason hesitated for a moment. This boy looked just like the one with psychic powers he had encountered before.

"You!" the older Trainer exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the boy. "You're that psychotic person who tried to kill me!"

Silver was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about! You're that Milver guy!"

This shocked him. "No, you've got it all wrong! My name is Silver! How do you know Milver?"

"I found him wandering around up north, and then he attacked me. Why do you look so much like him?"

"It's a long story, but could you tell me more about what happened when you met him?"

"He had a strange gem that seemed to give him power. I was able to ascertain that he wants to get rid of as many people as possible."

"Yeah, that's the guy. Who would have guessed you would have met him... Say, what's your name?"

"Uh, it's Jason," he said, a little uneasy.

The other Rockets would be there soon. "Okay, then, Jason," said Silver. "I'll lead them off in another direction, you head that way!"

"What? R-really? Thanks, Silver!"

"Well, after all, we have an enemy in common." Jason smiled and turned, taking off through the trees. When the squad arrived, Silver shouted and gave a command, "This way! Hurry!" They ran in a different direction, deeper into the woods.

* * *

**Author's** **Note: **If you've read up this far, then I'd like to point out that all characters with images have been listed in my profile. If you haven't gone to look at them already, I recommend viewing the whole list. And don't forget that every chapter is important.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Chase had made it to Route 8 and was taking a short break near some trees. He had let out his team so they could get to know Gastly better.

The Trainer was lying on the ground, looking up at the clouds while his Pokémon played nearby. Gastly, Charmander, Caterpie, and Poliwag were taking turns making scary faces at each other as Pidgeotto circled overhead. Chase rose to his feet and approached them.

"Okay, guys, that's enough. Return!" he said. "Now, let's see if I can get through these woods."

Everything seemed normal for a while; some Rattata scampered around as Weedle prepared cocoons to become Kakuna. But, as Chase ventured deeper, there appeared to be signs of recent human activity heading off to the south. Intrigued, Chase walked down a small worn path of dirt and broken twigs that led through the trees. Eventually, he came upon a large building; he walked around the outer perimeter. It didn't look like anybody was around.

Unbeknown to Chase, a large figure dressed in black loomed over his shoulders. Out of the corners of his eyes, he saw it and whirled around. There, standing in front of him was a very tall and muscular man in a Team Rocket uniform.

"Freeze. You're coming with me," the Rocket said with a crooked smile. He tied Chase's hands and marched him into the base.

Chase was thrown into a jail cell, and his Pokémon were taken away from him. The Rockets took the Poké Balls to a storage room in the back, laughing as they walked out of sight.

With him in the cell sitting on a bench was a young man. "They got you, too?" he asked. "So, kid, what's your name?"

"Um, it's Chase. I'm a Pokémon Trainer. Who are you?"

"The name's Jason, I am a soldier in the military."

"Why are you here?"

"Earlier today, I had a run-in with a group of Rockets, but I managed to get away. Later, I was captured by a much larger group in these woods and thrown into this cell, and then they took my Poké Ball. Why are you here?"

"I was just making my way through the woods when I stumbled upon this base, then a huge scary guy captured me."

Just then, two yellow and black-striped ears appeared at the barred window. The figure stood up on its toes so it could peer inside. It was Jason's Ampharos, who was carrying his backpack. "Hand my stuff through the window, please," said Jason.

Ampharos did as it was told, and then Jason took and looked inside his bag to see five of his six Poké Balls along with everything else. He picked up one of them and enlarged it.

"What do you plan to do?" Chase asked, excited.

"This!" Jason released a Pokémon from within the ball. "Salamence, we need you to knock down these bars!" The Dragon-type obeyed, and in one sweep of its mighty tail, the bars were obliterated. Jason thanked and quickly returned it. He put the ball back in his bag and handed it to Ampharos, telling it to take cover near the road. The Electric-type nodded and ran into the brush. Jason turned to Chase and said, "Now, we need to go find my Houndoom and your Pokémon, and then we can get out of here!" Chase nodded in acknowledgment. "Okay, follow me!"

Meanwhile, in the storage room far in the back of the base, six Poké Balls rested in a tray. One started to wiggle and popped open, shooting a stream of white light that arched up and back down to the ground. Jason's Houndoom had taken form. It noticed the other Poké Balls, so it started to free the Pokémon inside by pressing the buttons. Expecting its fellow companions to take form, completely different Pokémon appeared. There was a Charmander, Pidgeotto, Caterpie, Poliwag, and a Gastly, all Chase's. The Houndoom was surprised at this.

"Hey, who are you guys? Where are my teammates?" Houndoom said in a strong, male voice.

The Lizard Pokémon faced it and said, "Well, my name's Charmander! I'm not sure where your friends are, though."

"Hi, I'm Poliwag!" the Water-type chimed in.

"All right," said Houndoom, realizing its Trainer had probably done something with the others when it was still in its Poké Ball. "And the rest of you are?"

"M-my name's C-Caterpie!" the Worm Pokémon stuttered, afraid of Houndoom.

"Hi, I'm Pidgeotto," the Flying-type said coolly.

"So what about…?" The Dark-, Fire-type turned to where Gastly was, but it had disappeared. "Hey, where'd he go?"

Suddenly, the Gas Pokémon flew through the wall, wailing with a Transylvanian accent: "I am Gaaaaasltyyyy! I am scary, yes?"

Houndoom was unimpressed and shot back with a simple "Boo!" Gastly shrieked in terror before flying through the wall again.

"Okay," the Dark Pokémon started slowly, "I'm Houndoom, nice to meet you all. I take it you were separated from your Trainer?"

Charmander replied, "I guess so. I don't see Chase anywhere!"

"I'll help you find your Trainer, kid. He's probably being held in this base somewhere like my Trainer is. So, someone grab that tray of Poké Balls and follow me!"

Without question, the other five followed Houndoom out of the room and into the hallway with Charmander carrying the tray. Gastly slowly crept out of the wall and tagged along in the back of the line.

Chase and Jason were sneaking around some of the Rocket grunts that were patrolling the hallways by dodging in and out of different rooms. After a while, it looked as if they'd make it out, but there was still no sign of the room where their Pokémon were being stored. They eventually made it to another empty room where Jason turned to Chase and said, "Hey, I'm going to head back a ways and double check some rooms. I need you to stay here until I get back."

"But…!"

"Just leave that door cracked a little bit and watch for me."

"Um, okay."

"All right, I won't be long." And with that, Jason slipped out the door and headed down the hallway.

Chase knelt and watched intently through the crack. He felt nervous about being alone and hoped he would be reunited with his Pokémon soon.

Just as Chase was thinking this, his Pokémon—being led by a Houndoom—came sneaking down the hallway from the opposite direction Jason went. Chase opened the door and called their names as quietly as he could while still drawing their attention.

"Charmander, guys, over here!" he whispered, waving.

Charmander and the others happily ran toward Chase and crowded around him. The Trainer was happy to be with his Pokémon again. Now all that was needed was for Jason to get back.

But because Chase had left the door open more than he should have, a Rocket member saw him. There, standing a good few feet away in the hall was a man dressed in the black Team Rocket uniform and had five o'clock shadow on his face.

"You?!" the man exclaimed. "I swear you're following me, twerp!" It was Butch again, the leader from Rock Tunnel and Nugget Bridge. Chase froze for a moment, mentally kicking himself.

Butch lurched toward Chase, but the boy dodged, and his Pokémon followed suit. The Rocket turned his attention to Houndoom.

"Come here, doggy!" Butch shouted as he grabbed the Dark Pokémon by the horns. He pulled out an electrically-charged weapon and began shocking Houndoom with it, rendering it helpless.

Chase took action, grabbed a Pikachu paperweight from a desk, and clobbered Butch in the head. The man sunk to the floor, knocked out. "That takes care of him."

Jason entered the room, looking relieved to have found his Houndoom and Chase safe. He knelt down and hugged his Pokémon around the neck. "What happened here?" he asked, looking at Butch.

"I had to take matters into my own hands. Now, let's get out of here!" Jason agreed, and they returned everyone. The two of them continued cautiously around the corner in search of an exit.

Thankfully, they didn't run into any other Rockets. Chase and Jason were able to make it out of the building, and then through the woods. When they were close to the road, Jason turned to Chase and said, "Hey, that was quick thinking back there, knocking out that guy."

"I was just trying to protect your Houndoom," Chase replied.

"Thanks, and if you ever need some help, you can just call." Jason reached into his backpack and pulled out a scrap piece of paper and a pen, then wrote down his cell phone number. "I'll be hanging around Kanto for a while, so don't hesitate to call if you need to."

"Thank you, I'll remember that."

"You're welcome." Just then, Ampharos came out from the bushes, having found its Trainer. Jason thanked it for doing a great job and returned it. He put his backpack on and said to Chase, "Now, you better start moving or those Rockets will be on you like sand on a Hippowdon."

Jason waved goodbye and then released Salamence. Chase waved back as they rose high into the air, taking off to the southwest, and then the boy resumed his trip to Saffron City.

It was getting dark; Chase decided to keep going so he could get as far away from Team Rocket as possible. Eventually, he stopped to set up camp and went to sleep.

The next morning, Chase ate a small breakfast and set off once again. He reached the gates of Saffron. To his displeasure, the city was still under construction, and the guards there wouldn't let him through, no matter how much water he offered them. Chase had no choice but to turn around and head back to Lavender.

He took another road that lead to the northern part of Route 8 to avoid any Team Rocket members. The trip lasted longer, and night fell as he approached Lavender, the town's lights could be seen a good distance away. Chase made the rest of the trip in the moonlight, finally reaching Lavender's Pokémon Center.

The next morning, he awoke and ate breakfast before heading out into the streets. He walked to Yosocky's house; the kindly old man was sitting on his porch, feeding a flock of Pidgey some breadcrumbs. He noticed Chase and stood up to greet him.

"Hello! What brings you back here?" Yosocky asked.

"I was going to Saffron City so I could hopefully get to Celadon," Chase explained, "but they still aren't letting anybody through. So, I came back since there wasn't anywhere else to go."

"Then you'll be glad to hear there's a road leading south of town that will take you to Fuchsia City; there's a Gym there. The trip may take awhile, but at least you'll get to see the landscape. They say it's very beautiful out there."

"I'll head that way, thanks! Oh, and before I forget, can I have your phone number, just incase I find one of those rocks you were talking about?"

"Sure! Just let me go and get me something to write with and a piece of paper…"

"I have some paper right here!" Chase lifted up the piece of paper Jason had given him the day before. Yosocky quickly returned with a worn pencil, and then wrote his phone number down.

"Thank you! Now, I better get going if I want to make good time!" Chase said goodbye and departed for the south road out of Lavender.

****************


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

A week had gone by since Chase set off to Fuchsia City. The young Trainer had been working his Pokémon vigorously during this time, and they were starting to see the fruits of their labor. Charmander had learned Dragon Rage and Scary Face, the latter being used to mimic Gastly in playful competitions to see who could scare the other, and it already knew Flamethrower and Metal Claw. Pidgeotto learned Twister and Wing Attack in addition to its Quick Attack and Gust. Poliwag learned Water Gun, which replaced Bubble, and Body Slam, along with its Double Slap and Hypnosis. Gastly now knew Hypnosis, Lick, Mean Look, and Shadow Ball. Caterpie, however, learned nothing new and had not evolved yet, so it still only knew Tackle and String Shot.

Chase was just now arriving in Fuchsia. He walked around town, eventually stumbling upon the city's Gym. Since he was there, he decided to go inside and inquire about a battle.

There was a man wearing black sunglasses at the front desk, which was odd because it was dimly lit inside the lobby. Chase asked him if the Gym Leader would be able to have a match with him, but the man just replied, "Sorry, the Gym Leader's not excepting any challenges right now. Come back at a later date and you might be able to have a battle then." Chase, disappointed, left for the Pokémon Center to let his team rest up some more.

Once he had gotten his team back from Nurse Joy, he looked at a town map. There was a training field near where the Safari Zone used to be, so he made his way out there thinking it would be a good chance to fit in some more training for the day.

There were several thick wooden posts used for testing physical attacks scattered about the area. Chase let Charmander out and explained that they were going to be using them as targets.

"Okay, Charmander," Chase started, "use Metal Claw!"

Charmander's right hand started to glow brightly, and it bounded up to a post at full speed. Unexpectedly, a Shedinja flew out of nowhere and threw itself in front of Charmander's attack. Because of the Ghost-, Bug-type's special ability, Wonder Guard, the attack was rendered useless. Then, a man dressed in black wearing an orange scarf jumped out of a tree and swiftly ran over to the Shedinja with a Ninjask following behind. Chase and Charmander were speechless.

"Aha!" the man cried with a hardy laugh. "Remain hidden and strike when the element of surprise is on your side! That is the way of the ninja!" It was Koga of the Elite Four!

Disregarding the fact that he was startled half-to-death, Chase recognized the man almost immediately and exclaimed excitedly, "Wow, you're Koga!"

"So you know who I am, eh? Sorry for scaring you like that, I just couldn't help myself. You've just got to have some fun now and then."

"You sure surprised me," Chase laughed. "But, why are you here in Fuchsia instead of at the Pokémon League's headquarters?"

"I was just training my Ninjask and Shedinja in the way of the Poison-type," Koga explained. "And besides, even an important Trainer like me has to take a break from all that celebrity stuff. I thought I'd come back and spend time with my daughter."

"Oh, your daughter lives around here? That's nice. I've always admired your skills!"

Koga smiled and thanked Chase, then took the backpack he was carrying off as he knelt to the ground. He returned his two Pokémon and placed their Poké Balls into the bag. But something he had never noticed before caught his attention; a strange, dim glow was coming from the depths of his bag. Immediately realizing what it could mean, he got back up and turned to Chase.

"May I ask your name, Trainer?"

"Yeah, my name's Chase."

"Okay, Chase, what brings you to Fuchsia?"

"I was hoping I could battle the Gym Leader, but I was told I couldn't right now."

"All right, that's understandable. So, how interested are you in Pokémon?"

"I'm very interested. I've been wanting to be a Pokémon Trainer ever since I was little."

"Have you ever looked into the history of Pokémon? It's very deep and diverse, and I find it very interesting."

"I know a good amount of history. I've heard stories about Arceus and the legends that surround it."

"Well, then, I have something I would like to show you…" Koga reached into his backpack. He pulled out a green-colored gem that glowed faintly. Handing it to Chase, it began to shine brilliantly. Charmander shielded its eyes from the bright flash.

"I inherited this from a relative," Koga explained. "This was all they left me, along with the instructions to seek out this gem's rightful owner. Supposedly, a stone like this will glow if it's either near one of its own, or sometimes if its chosen one is very close. I was told to keep guard over it until I found the person it belonged to."

"This has to be one of the four Power Stones Yosocky was talking about!" Chase thought to himself.

"Chase, I believe I need to relinquish this Stone into your care," Koga explained.

"I can't except this. It doesn't belong to me!"

"I beg to differ."

Unsure of what to do, Chase debated if he should take it, and decided he should so he could take the Stone back to Yosocky. "Well, on second thought, I will accept this. Thank you, sir! I'll take good care of it."

"I'm glad. Now remember, make sure to keep it under wraps. Greedy people will want to take it from you." Glancing at his watch, Koga exclaimed, "Oh, look at the time! I need to head back right away!"

"So soon?" Chase asked, disappointed.

"Yes, I need to be somewhere right now. It was nice meeting you, Chase."

"It was nice meeting you, too, sir! Maybe I'll see you at the Pokémon League!"


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

At the Galactic Corporation Building, Celio was reading more in the mysterious folder he had found in his filing cabinet. Curiously, the pages in the file were terribly mixed up and out of order. It seemed that someone put it together in a hurry. Nonetheless, Celio did his best to put the papers in order and read on.

He didn't get far into the document, though, for he was called to meet Cyrus in his office, so he set the folder underneath some of his other papers. He took the elevator to the top floor.

Celio made his way down the halls until he reached Cyrus's office. He entered and saw the secretary sitting at her desk.

"Cyrus asked me to come," he said.

The woman said he could go on ahead, and so he walked through the door. He saw Cyrus sitting in his swivel chair. The blue-haired Mr. Saturn was with him.

"You wanted to see me?" the computer programmer asked shakily.

"Yes. I'm going away on a business trip and I need you to take care of some jobs." Cyrus stood up and handed Celio a list with some instructions and dismissed him. Celio nodded and turned, sticking the list in his pocket, and stepped out the door. "Saturn, I've been searching for the folder with Operation Cyclops in it. Do you have it?"

"No, sir. I'll find it right away," Saturn stated.

"You'd better."

Celio had taken the elevator down. Once in his room, a ringing surprised him. Celio quickly answered his cell phone: "Hello?"

A friendly voice came over the speaker and said, "Hi, Celio!"

"Bill! How's it going?"

"Good! I just wanted to call and say hi."

"So, how's your Pokémon journey going?" Celio sat down in his chair.

"Well, I just got my third badge!"

"That's great! Where are you?"

"In Vermillion City." He was calling from a pay phone at the Pokémon Center.

"I thought I heard all the roads through Saffron were closed because of what happened."

"They just started letting people through. What have you been up to?"

"Oh, not much… I've just been working. It's been interesting."

"Hmm, sounds…interesting!" Bill laughed. "I bet you're doing a great job."

"Thank you. I'm trying my best."

"You're welcome. There's a person wanting to use the phone, so I'll talk to you later. Say hi to Bebe if you see her!"

"Okay, I will. Bye, pal!"

They hung up. Celio quickly spun in his chair to get up, accidentally knocking "Operation Cyclops" behind the desk and out of sight.

Back in Vermilion, Bill turned and saw a man in his early twenties standing there.

"Hi!" the young man said.

"Hello!" Bill responded.

"You look familiar. Are you associated with the Pokémon Storage System?"

"Yes, I am. My name's Bill."

"I knew it! My name's Jason, it's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Jason."

"Who would've guessed I would run into a celebrity all the way out here!"

"Thank you. So, Jason, are you from around here?"

"No, I'm just sightseeing around the Kanto Region."

"You should head out east of town. They say Route 11 is picturesque with all of its ocean-side roads and woods!"

"Sounds nice, I think I'll go that way next. Thanks!"

"You're welcome!" Bill slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"It was nice talking with you, Bill! Maybe we'll meet again sometime!"

"I'll look forward to that."

Back in the Sinnoh Region, Cyrus had left the Galactic Corporation Building and was on his way with Saturn in a helicopter.

They arrived at a Team Galactic base. Once inside, a short, elderly man with light-purple hair was there to greet them.

"Charon," Cyrus said. "I've obtained the software we need."

"Sir," Charon started, "Are you sure you can trust that young man?"

"You worry too much," Cyrus replied sternly. "We've obtained what we need, so I advise you to get to work."

"Yes, sir." Without saying anything else, Cyrus turned and walked away. "That Cyrus," the scientist grumbled to himself. "He's become too cocky."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Silver was in a hanger at Team Rocket's headquarters, waiting to be taken to the base on Route 8. He was told to meet one of the Rocket Executives there. It had been two weeks since Giovanni had gotten word that a prisoner at that base—who was suspected of holding the important artifact he was searching for—had escaped with the help of a young Pokémon Trainer.

Soon, the pilot was ready to leave, and they took to the skies. It was about an hour or so until the pilot landed gracefully in a clearing. Silver got out; the helicopter took off and headed back to Mt. Silver.

The boy made his way through the trees, eventually finding the base. There, standing by the front door waiting was the Rocket Executive. He wore a dark purple suit with a red "R" sown onto his breast pocket, and he had short, purple hair.

"You must be Silver," the man said. "I've heard a lot about you. I am Art Nelson."

"Are you by any chance related to an Anthony Nelson?"

"Yes, he's my grandfather."

"Interesting. It's nice to meet you!" Silver reached out his hand, expecting to shake with Art, but all the Executive did was stare at Silver.

"You can come inside," Art muttered. Silver looked on, puzzled, as the young Nelson turned and walked through the front door.

"Someone's a grouch today," Silver murmured to himself before following.

Meanwhile, on Route 12, Chase was walking down Silence Bridge. He was tired because, earlier, he was chased by a group of angry Beedrill when Charmander accidentally shot their hive with a Flamethrower. The small Lizard Pokémon had since been returned, and Chase strolled down the path alone.

He was very curious about the green-colored gem that Koga had given him. He held it in his hand and watched it glow, all the while wondering why. Chase questioned if he really was this Stone's rightful owner, but he reasoned that Yosocky would know, so he had to make it back to Lavender as quickly as he could.

Back at the Rocket Base, Silver was familiarizing himself with the building, walking around and taking note of all the different facilities and rooms scattered about the halls. As he turned a corner, he bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" the Rocket boomed.

Recognizing the man, Silver said happily, "Well, if it isn't Butch!"

He looked at Silver confused for a second before realizing whom the boy was, and then exclaimed, "Silver! How've ya been?"

"I've been doing good. How about you?"

"Aw, I've been stuck here for the past two weeks. It hasn't been too pleasant, to say the least. I've been worked to death, been denied a day off, and even been knocked out cold by a paperweight."

"They should really give you a raise."

"Yeah, but what are the chances of that happening?" Silver chuckled. "So, anyway, it's nice to see a familiar face that won't be barking orders at me… Wait, _are_ you here to give me orders?"

"Nah, I'm just here to be here."

"Okay, that's good. I already have enough to worry about with that Executive Nelson guy. He really lays it on thick, especially if he's in a bad mood."

"Yeah, that guy certainly has some sort of an attitude problem. He reminds me of a certain someone with purple hair that used to tick me off."

Just then, a short Rocket grunt went rushing down the hall, running right in-between Silver and Butch, asking frantically, "Where's Executive Nelson?"

"Who knows?" Butch replied nonchalantly.

"I just spotted that Trainer who helped the prisoner escape from here two weeks ago!" With that, the grunt went stumbling around a corner.

"Trainer? There was a Trainer here?" Silver asked in curiosity.

"Yeah," Butch started, still sounding nonchalant, "a kid helped a prisoner of ours escape. It's the same little twerp that I've been running into all over Kanto… I'd like to get my hands on him."

"I think we should check this out."

"I agree," said the Rocket as he and Silver started walking down the hall.

They reached a large meeting room filled with Rocket employees, along with Executive Nelson leading an ongoing project, but he was rudely interrupted by the short grunt that had run past Silver and Butch earlier. Nelson hesitated upon hearing the news.

"Really?" Art blurted out. This got the attention of everyone else in the room. Embarrassed, Nelson leaned in towards the grunt and said, "Where is he?"

"On the other side of the woods, sir. Down by Route 12 heading north."

Nelson stood up, straightened his shirt tie, and got everyone's attention: "We've just gotten information that the boy who helped our prisoner escape two weeks ago is in the vicinity. Squad leader, get your team together and round him up!"

Butch was a little surprised at this, saying, "It's only one little twerp…"

The instant the group of grunts and scientists heard the word "twerp," hysteria broke loose.

"Twerp?" one scientist exclaimed shakily. "Team Rocket had to go underground twice because of some twerps!"

"It's the end of Team Rocket!" a grunt shouted.

Nelson tried to calm everyone down, but try as he might he could not stop the unruly underlings.

"Whoa, I didn't know everyone was so afraid of twerps," commented Butch.

Art took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs. The Rockets stopped and trembled in fright at what their superior might do.

"The Executive sure has a way with words," Silver quipped to Butch, cracking a wry smile.

"All right, that's better," glared Nelson, not hearing Silver's comment. "Now, we're going to head out to Route 12 and look for that Trainer. Maybe he has some information on that prisoner he helped get away, or maybe he has some valuable Pokémon." The crowd just stood there, staring back at the purple-haired man. Annoyed, Nelson exclaimed, "Don't just stand there, go!"

Everyone started scrambling out the door, tripping and falling over each other. Silver and Butch saluted and commented sarcastically, "Yes, sir!" Then they started out the door, as well.

A little later, back on Route 12, Chase was nearing Lavender Town. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until he noticed someone through the trees. He peered through the branches to see a Team Rocket member with his back to Chase.

"Team Rocket!" Chase said under his breath.

Thinking fast, he took cover and pulled out a PokéGear from his backpack and dialed Jason's cell phone number. After a few tense moments, Chase heard someone answer.

"Hello?" Jason's voice came over the speaker.

"Jason! It's Chase!"

"What's up?"

"I'm on Route 12, near Lavender, and I've spotted some Team Rocket guys. Can you tell me where you are right now?"

"Sure, I'm on Route 11."

"I'm glad I caught you while you're still in Kanto. They kind of have me cornered, but have not found me yet. Can you come and help me out? I'm not sure I'd be able to fend them off by myself."

"Sure! I'll be there in two shakes of a Mareep's tail!"

"Thank you!"

"No problem!"

Until Jason arrived, Chase's situation looked pretty bleak. Through the trees, he could see more and more Rockets appear, and he didn't know if there were any others nearby that would sneak up behind him.

Suddenly, a Rocket began approaching through the trees in Chase's direction. The boy's heart pounded as he retreated further behind the rock. The gruff man looked around, then, after seeing nothing turned around and trekked back through the brush to rejoin his comrades. Chase let out a sigh.

He heard a Rocket exclaim something as a large shadow moved across the ground. They looked up into the sky to see a black dot; it was a Pokémon. It flew over the tree line and landed near the spot where Chase was.

It was Jason's Salamence! Its Trainer dismounted and looked around. Chase stood up from behind the rock.

"Oh, man! Am I glad to see you!" Chase exclaimed.

"I'm glad to see you unharmed! Now, let's take care of those Rockets," Jason said, smiling. He motioned for Chase to release one of his Pokémon as the Rockets approached.

Jason took out one of his Poké Balls and tossed it in the air. It released a white stream of light that hit the ground, and a huge, bulking Torterra took form.

"Torterra!" it cried.

Chase sent out his Charmander, despite the fact it was considerably smaller than both Jason's Salamence and Torterra.

As the Rockets ran through the trees, their expressions changed from gruff and angry to pale and frightened. Without even tossing one of their own Pokémon out, they turned tail and ran away at the sight of the two fierce-looking opponents.

"Well, that was easy," said Jason.

Chase smiled and was about to say something, but through the trees came even more Rockets than before. In the lead was a sharply dressed man with purple hair. "You're coming with us, both of you!" he shouted.

"We're not going anywhere!" Jason argued.

"Well, then, if you won't come with us, we'll have to make you."

The Executive motioned to be handed something, and was given a device that resembled a bazooka. He pulled a trigger and a net was shot out. Jason flinched, expecting it to have been shot at him, but the net grabbed Charmander instead and was reeled back. "If the boy wants his Charmander back, you'll comply," Nelson explained as Charmander struggled.

"Charmander!" Chase cried.

"Hand over that container with the artifact in it, and the boy can have his precious Pokémon back."

Reluctantly, Jason reached into his backpack and started to pull out the capsule-like container. Charmander continued to squirm and used a Metal Claw, but the net would not be cut.

"How cute, the little Pokémon thinks it can cut our net," Nelson scoffed. "This net is one of Team Rocket's specialties. It comes in three varieties: electricity-proof, flameproof, and cut-proof. Unfortunately for you, this is a three-in-one."

Jason started to approach Nelson. He passed the container from his hands to Nelson, all the while looking for some opportunity to grab Charmander.

Nelson took the container and stepped back quickly, overjoyed with how easily Jason fell for his plan.

"Thank you. Now we'll be going. Don't follow us."

The Executive started to back away further, but Chase exclaimed, "Hey! What about Charmander?"

"Oh, this thing?" Nelson asked innocently. "Well, it's probably worth some money, so I'll just take it off your hands."

"Hey, you can't do that," came a voice from the crowd of Rockets. Silver emerged and approached him. "You made a deal, now give it back to him!"

"You cannot order me around!" Nelson declared angrily. He pushed Silver aside and walked away. Charmander squirmed even more, and suddenly, it began to glow. It grew larger, and it broke the net. As it landed on the ground, the glowing ceased and its skin had gotten darker, the look in its eyes were sharper, and it had a single horn coming off the back of its head.

"Charmander evolved into Charmeleon!" Jason declared in astonishment.

"Whoa, way-to-go, Charmander—I mean, Charmeleon!" Chase called.

Charmeleon smiled, but was caught again in another net fired by a Rocket grunt.

"Nice going!" Nelson commended the Rocket. "Now we've got the artifact _and_ an even rarer Pokémon!"

Silver still wouldn't agree and tried to release the Fire-type. Nelson, annoyed, sent out his Arbok, which coiled itself around Silver and threw him to the ground.

"If you're going to defend these weaklings, why don't you join them?" Nelson mocked. He motioned for the others to follow him, leaving Silver on the ground. Butch reluctantly followed, wanting to slap Nelson across the face. Even Butch had more heart than the Executive.

As the men in black disappeared through the trees, Silver tried to stand up, but from being squeezed by Art's Arbok, it hurt to move.

Jason returned his Pokémon and ran over to Silver. He helped him to his feet and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, but that Arbok kind of shook me up a bit," Silver explained.

"Are you with Team Rocket?" Chase asked.

"Kind of, I only came here because I was ordered to. I'm Silver."

"Um, I'm Chase."

"You already know me," Jason chimed in.

"Don't worry, I'm not like most Rockets. I won't bite."

"It's nice to meet you Silver, but I need to go after them! I need to rescue my Charmeleon!" Chase declared.

"And they have the artifact," Jason added grimly.

Silver thought for a moment and proposed an idea: "I can help you get into the base and get your stuff back, but I need a favor in return."

"Okay, what is it?" Jason asked.

"You know Milver, right, Jason?"

"Yes."

"He's my clone, and I need to stop him, otherwise, if he collects all of the Power Stones he's looking for, it could be real trouble."

"Power Stones?" Chase asked in surprise. He had stuck his green-colored gem in his pocket before all of this happened. Chase pulled it out and saw it glowing two times brighter than before.

At the sight of this, Silver quickly brought out his Blue Stone. It was glowing just as bright as Chase's Green Stone.

"Wow, where did you get that?" Silver asked excitedly.

"Someone gave it to me."

"Does it glow when you hold it?"

"Yes, it does."

"Huh, interesting. Don't let those Rockets see it, they're also looking for these Stones."

"All right, thanks. But, why haven't they taken yours? And what's this about a clone?"

"Well, the Rockets here don't know I have this Stone. And, long story short, I have a psychic psychopath clone that has the same traits as Mewtwo that plans to destroy the human race."

Chase, very confused, said, "All right, let me get this straight… You have a Power Stone, which your clone and Team Rocket are looking for, but the Rockets here don't know you or I have these Stones, and your clone has the same traits as Mewtwo and plans to destroy all human beings?"

"Yes."

"This is pretty complicated," Jason joked. "But, okay, I agree. I will help you when the time comes."

"I'm in, too," Chase declared. "I'll do anything to get my friend back!"

"Good, then let's go!" exclaimed Silver.

They started off with Silver in the lead and headed into the trees. Chase was very concerned about Charmeleon. He fell back a little when he noticed his Stone was acting strangely. It flashed on and off eerily in his right hand, and suddenly his other hand began to feel hot. Disregarding the strange sensation, Chase caught up with the others. But, a few minutes later, he asked Jason and Silver to stop.

"Hang on. This is real weird… It feels like my hand is on fire," Chase explained as he waved it around in the air, trying to cool it off. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Uh, Chase?" Jason asked. "Your hand _is_ on fire!"

"What?" His hand had indeed caught fire. At the sight of this, Chase began frantically trying to put it out and dropped the Green Stone in doing so. Immediately, the fire went out and the Stone ceased to shine.

"Chase, are you all right?" Jason asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I am now."

"What was that?" asked Silver.

"I have no clue," Chase answered. "It has something to do with that rock. It was flashing when my hand started to feel hot. That's it, I have to go see Yosocky after I get Charmeleon back."

"Yosocky?" Jason chimed in. "Who is Yosocky?"

"He's an acquaintance of mine who wanted me to bring him one of these Stones if I ever found one. I think he should be able to tell me what's going on."

"Really? Well then, I might come along with you. I'd sure like to know more about my Stone," Silver declared.

"Okay," Jason started, "but first we need to get into that base! Come on!"

Chase carefully picked up his Power Stone and put it in his backpack, then followed after Silver and Jason into the woods.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Chase, Silver, and Jason were hiding in the brush near the Rocket Base. Silver was looking for a way to get them inside undetected when he noticed Butch waiting out in front of the door with two guards. He turned to the others and whispered, "You guys stay here, and I'll try and sneak you in."

Silver walked out of the brush; at first, the two guards tensed up and readied their weapons, but relaxed when they saw it was him. Butch greeted the redhead.

"Silver, I'm sorry I didn't say anything back there," he started. "If I would have stood up to the Executive then, he would've clobbered me."

"No, it's okay. He hasn't given you explicit orders to keep me out of the base, has he?"

"Nah, if he did that, the Boss would be all over him for locking you out. Nelson wasn't too pleased with you standing up for the twerp, though. By the way, where did those two go?"

"They left. I heard them say they should just cut their losses and leave."

"That doesn't sound like the twerp to me. But, I need to go back inside, so I'll see you later."

Butch walked passed the guards and in the door, and Silver followed. Chase became anxious.

"Where is he going?" Chase whispered.

"Hold on," Jason advised. "He has a plan."

Moments later, Silver reemerged from the base and caught the attention of the two guards. He said, "Hey, guys, I just got a message saying the Executive needs you in his office. I'll stand guard."

Immediately, the two left their positions and went inside. When Silver saw that it was clear, he signaled for Chase and Jason to come out. They hurried up to him by the door, looking around cautiously.

Without saying anything, the trio crept into the building. Silver led the way, making sure there weren't any Rockets patrolling the halls.

Everything went smoothly, and they approached the door to the storage room. There was no one guarding it, so they went right inside. There was the capsule-like container that held the artifact Jason was guarding, and Charmeleon, locked in a cage. Chase quickly took out its Poké Ball and returned it.

Jason picked up his container and opened it. He turned to Silver and said, "The artifact! It's not here!"

"What?" the boy replied in shock. "Then Nelson must have it. Listen, we need to get you out of here. I'll find the artifact later."

"Okay."

Silver led them back off the base without a hitch. When it was clear, he told them, "I'm going to go back to see what I can find out."

"But how will you find us later?" asked Jason.

"We can meet up somewhere. Chase, where does that acquaintance of yours you mentioned live?"

"Yosocky? He lives in Lavender," he explained.

"Good. How about we meet up outside of Lavender and go to Yosocky's."

With that settled, Silver went back to the base, tracking down Nelson on his way to the tarmac. Wanting to get a conversation going, he asked, "Executive Nelson, what was so important about those two Trainers? I understand they only had Pokémon."

"One did, but the other was carrying the Lustrous Orb."

"Lustrous Orb?" he repeated.

"Your father has been wanting to acquire it for awhile now. You being privileged to important information, you already know that."

"Yes, Giovanni has already explained this to me," Silver played along.

"I'm leaving for headquarters to deliver it now."

"He'll be happy to finally have it."

Nelson continued up to the helicopter and got in, the pink orb nestled in his black satchel. Silver watched the rotors spin, lifting the craft into the air. He turned and made his way off the base to rendezvous with Chase and Jason.

Silver had made it to the outskirts of town. When Jason saw him, he decided to make light of their run-in with Team Rocket and exclaimed, "Look! It's a Rocket! Chase, run!" pointing at Silver.

"Very funny!" Chase responded playfully.

Silver smiled and said, "Let's go see Yosocky. I'd like to hear what he has to say about my Stone."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

The three Trainers walked into Lavender Town and proceeded to Yosocky's house. Chase stepped up onto the porch and knocked. The kindly old man soon answered.

"Hello there, Chase!" Yosocky greeted him. "What are you doing here, and who are your friends?"

"This is Jason, and that's Silver. I've got something important to show you."

Jason and Silver said hello as Yosocky invited them inside. Once through the door, they filed into Yosocky's living room.

"Look at this," said Chase as he reached into his backpack and revealed the Green Stone. He quickly set it on Yosocky's table before his hand could catch on fire again. The Stone had a brilliant glow to it despite the fact Chase wasn't holding it.

"Oh!" Yosocky exclaimed in excitement. "You found one of the Power Stones! Good for you! But, that's peculiar… It's glowing so brightly on its own."

"That's because of me," Silver admitted as he pulled out his Blue Stone.

"Another one! Silver, are you by any chance that Stone's rightful owner?" Yosocky asked with intrigue.

"I think so. Whenever I hold it in my hands, it glows brightly. I've made a strange, blue force field, too," he explained.

"Yes, that settles it," Yosocky said definitively. "You've adopted the Stone's energy."

"Um, Yosocky," Chase broke in, "can you explain something that happened to me earlier?"

"I'll try. What was it?"

"I was holding the Green Stone, and it started to fluctuate on and off, then my hand caught on fire! But when I let go of it, the fire went out."

"It sounds like you're that Stone's rightful owner, and you've been transferred some of its energy, like Silver here. You see, the legend of Arceus tells of people that the Stones chose to use their powers. These people were known as Chasers, and each one had a different ability depending on what Stone they were chosen by. The Blue Stone gives its user the power to use energy waves and make force fields like Silver said he experienced. The Green Stone allows its owner to use the moves of Pokémon he or she are close with."

"I'm pretty close with my Charmeleon. Maybe I was using its Flamethrower," Chase proposed.

"That's a good thought."

"So, wait, can you explain a little more about these Chasers?" Jason asked.

"Chasers were people who used the power of the Stones for good purposes and prevented Arceus from exacting its revenge."

"What does that mean?" Silver asked.

Yosocky chuckled and told them the story like he had explained to Chase.

"That's interesting," said Jason.

"I'll say," Silver added. "So, I take it Chase and I are Chasers?"

"The proof is in the pudding," Yosocky replied.

"Who knew Chase and I were so important?" the redhead laughed.

"Indeed, you are important. Everyone is important."

The elderly man went on to explain that there were new Chasers every generation or so. These people were charged with protecting and defending people and Pokémon from evil. Yosocky also explained that when the second half of Arceus made the Power Stones as a way to keep it tethered to earth's dimension, it did not know they would react to people with similar auras as they did; it was an oversight that ended up costing it in the end. However, Yosocky did not know why the Red Stone's power could be accessed by anyone who possessed it. It was definitely a mystery to him, even now.

"Now, I expect that both of you will practice with your new abilities. You have quite a history to live up to," Yosocky concluded.

"We'll do our best," Chase and Silver assured him.

After some more conversation, the three thanked Yosocky for his time, and then said goodbye.

As they were stepping out the door, Yosocky said to Jason and Silver, "Just so you two know, Chase has my phone number, so feel free to call me." They acknowledged this and thanked him again.

Afterward, out on the sidewalk, Silver asked Chase a question: "So, where are you headed?"

"I'm going to head over to Saffron and see if their Gym is open," he replied.

"I think I'll join you," said Jason. "You might need some backup if you run into Team Rocket again."

"Thanks!"

"I'm coming, too," Silver declared.

"What?" Chase responded. "But, won't Team Rocket be wondering what happened to you?"

"I don't think it would hurt to tag along with you for a bit. Plus, we made a deal. I'd help you get your stuff back if you would help me defeat my clone." Silver hesitated. "Jason, I'm sorry. The Executive already took the Lustrous Orb to Team Rocket Headquarters. There wasn't anything I could do to get it back," he explained ruefully.

"Don't worry about it," Jason assured him.

"You're not mad?"

"There wasn't anything you could do about. We'll get it back eventually, so I'm still going to help you out. I don't want Milver to succeed."

"Thank you," Silver smiled.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The next day, Chase, Silver, and Jason were approaching Saffron City. Fortunately, Chase and Jason were able to remain undetected by any Team Rocket scouts in the area and made it safely through Route 8. Silver called his father and asked his permission if he could go on a journey to learn more about the Power Stones. Thankfully, Giovanni approved, and Silver went with his new companions.

As the trio walked into the city, all they heard was the hum of heavy machinery and the clanging of steel. Saffron was still in the process of being repaired, but they now let tourists and Trainers pass through because all of the major projects had been completed.

Chase was in the lead as they neared the Saffron Gym. He could see a tall female standing out in front of the building, and she somehow lifted and placed a wooden support beam into the new roof with her mind. She wore a purple shirt and white pants, and had long, black hair.

Approaching the girl, Chase asked cautiously, "Excuse me, are you the Saffron Gym Leader?"

"Yes," she replied. "I'm Sabrina. I see you want to challenge me, but I can't accept right now. I'm busy with helping rebuild the city. I recommend heading to Vermilion, that's what I've been telling all the other challengers lately." With that, she turned away and resumed her work.

Chase looked back at Silver and Jason, who both shrugged and turned to head to the Pokémon Center. He followed after taking another glimpse back at Sabrina moving things with only her mind.

Once Chase had caught up and they were a good ways away, Jason said, "Well, wasn't she cheery?"

"Oh, yes, she's the friendliest person I've met all day," Silver remarked.

"Maybe we should do like she said and head for Vermilion, it's not that far from here," Chase thought out loud.

"Sounds all right, but let's take a break for a bit at the Pokémon Center," Jason proposed.

Once there, they had lunch and talked for a while, getting to know each other a little better. Silver told Chase and Jason of his journey in Johto a few years back, which got Jason talking about his own journey through that region. Chase was interested in their stories because he had never been to the Johto Region before.

Later, they headed out to Route 6. No one was around, so Chase and Silver took out their Power Stones and started practicing with their new abilities. Chase couldn't focus his newfound power well enough to duplicate Charmeleon's Flamethrower one hundred percent, but he could make a flame appear in his hand without burning himself or anything around him. Silver was able to create blue force fields at will now, and could make baseball-sized orbs of energy that could be thrown as projectiles. Jason expressed interest in this ability, saying it looked a lot like the Pokémon move Aura Sphere.

Then, when more people started to approach from the direction of Vermillion City, they stopped and decided to move on. It wasn't long before Chase had an idea.

"Hey, Silver," Chase said. "What do you say about having a battle with me?"

"Sure! I'm all for a good battle. Three-on-three?"

"Yeah, let's go!"

"I'll be the referee!" Jason declared.

Chase and Silver stood a good number of yards away from each other and readied themselves for battle. Chase grabbed one of his Poké Balls and tossed it in the air, releasing Charmeleon. Upon appearing, it launched a Flamethrower into the air.

"I'll go easy on him," Silver thought to himself. He plucked one of his own Poké Balls off of his belt and chucked it in the air. What materialized was the Pokémon Magneton.

"Chase, you and your Charmeleon can have the first turn!" Silver shouted.

"Okay, thanks! Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!"

The newly evolved Pokémon launched its powerful Flamethrower straight at Silver's Magneton. Silver commanded it to dodge, so the Electric-, Steel-type gracefully floated out of the way right as the stream of fire passed by.

"Thunderbolt!" the redhead shouted.

Magneton shot electricity at Charmeleon, which hit and did a remarkable amount of damage, seeing as Magneton had more experience.

Chase called for another Flamethrower. His Pokémon launched one swiftly and was able to land a hit. Magneton looked pretty shaken from receiving a super effective blow, but it remained conscious.

"Use Magnet Bomb!" Silver commanded.

Magneton used its magnetic energy to lift up rocks that had any type of metal deposits in them, and sent them all hurtling toward Charmeleon. It was pelted over and over, but was able to withstand the attack.

As more rocks flew towards it, Charmeleon saw an opening through them and shot a Flamethrower at the Magnet Pokémon, knocking it out.

"Great job, Charmeleon!" said Chase. Charmeleon beamed.

"You did great. Return, Magneton," Silver said. He took another ball off of his belt and threw it in the air; Silver's Weavile took form. It stretched and prepared for battle.

Chase decided to stick with his Fire-type and let Silver have the next turn.

"Weavile," Silver shouted, "use Night Slash!"

The Sharp Claw Pokémon dashed up to Charmeleon with blinding speed, its claws glowing a strange dark purple. It swung at Charmeleon's head, but the Fire-type ducked.

Quickly, Chase exclaimed, "Flamethrower!" Charmeleon launched its powerful attack straight into Weavile's face, and it fainted.

Amazed at Charmeleon's strength, Silver returned his fallen Pokémon. "How could it knock out my Weavile so easily?" he thought. Next, he sent out his Meganium, who was ready for battle. Chase again remained with Charmeleon, and gave Silver the first turn.

"Body Slam, Meganium!" Silver commanded.

"Flamethrower!"

Chase's Fire-type once again launched its attack, but Meganium jumped out of the way and ran up to Charmeleon, full-body tackling it and sending it crashing to the ground, knocked out.

Meganium smiled with delight at its victory as Chase sadly returned his friend. Going over his team, Chase decided to use Gastly, who would be invincible towards the opponent's Body Slam.

The Gas Pokémon took the field and let out a ghastly wail. Chase called out, "Use Lick!"

Gastly obeyed and attempted to lick Meganium. Silver had other plans and commanded his Grass-type to use Razor Leaf. It shot dozens of sharp leaves at Gastly, making it reel back in pain.

"Now, use Solar Beam!" Silver shouted.

"Uh oh," Chase murmured. "Use Shadow Ball!"

Gastly built up a ball of dark energy and shot it at Meganium, who was charging itself up with solar power. The flower petals around its neck were glowing brightly with white light. The Shadow Ball hit it, but the Herb Pokémon continued to charge.

"Use another Shadow Ball!" Chase shouted anxiously.

But before Gastly could perform the move, Meganium shot it with a fully powered Solar Beam, instantly knocking the Ghost-, Poison-type out.

"Great job, Meganium!" Silver praised his Pokémon.

"Good try, Gastly," said Chase as he returned it.

Next, Chase sent out Pidgeotto. He reasoned that it would have the advantage over a Grass-type like Meganium.

He got the first turn again and ordered, "Use Gust!" The opponent was buffeted by the strong wind, and was trying its best to stay anchored to the ground. "Now use a Wing Attack!"

Pidgeotto stopped flapping its wings and immediately went into a Wing Attack. Meganium was still recovering from the blowback and couldn't defend itself. The Flying-type landed a solid hit with its wings, but Silver's Pokémon refused to give up.

"Use Razor Leaf!" shouted Silver. Meganium shot its razor-sharp leaves at the Bird Pokémon, but Pidgeotto gracefully dodged, flying high into the sky. "Darn it, we can't reach it up there!"

"All right, now use Twister!"

Pidgeotto stopped and hovered where it was for a moment, then started flapping its wings rapidly and made a moderately sized tornado.

Seeing how slow the Twister was approaching, Silver commanded, "Solar Beam!"

Meganium began charging up solar energy again. Silver hoped Meganium would fire before the Twister hit. He thought maybe the Solar Beam would disband the tornado and prevent Meganium from being hurt.

But despite Silver's plan, Pidgeotto's Twister reached Meganium and completely engulfed the poor Pokémon. Barely any sunlight could penetrate inside, so the glow from Meganium's flower petals ceased and the Solar Beam was canceled.

Silver watched in anticipation as the Twister attack dissipated, but much to his displeasure, Meganium had been knocked out. Silver returned his companion and thanked it, saying, "You did your best, buddy."

"The winner is Chase!" Jason shouted excitedly.

Chase praised his Pidgeotto and then returned it before walking over to Silver.

"Good game," said Silver.

"Thanks, you and your team were awesome," replied Chase.

"Here, take this…" Silver reached into his pocket and pulled out some prize money, handing it to Chase.

"No, I can't accept this," he insisted.

"You deserve it."

"We didn't agree on any prize money, so I can't take it."

After that, they set off towards Vermilion again, Chase eagerly awaiting his next Gym battle.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Chase, Jason, and Silver were nearing Vermilion City. The area around them seemed quiet and peaceful, but nonetheless, Silver couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. He was right to be suspicious, for there was someone following them, hidden in the shadows.

"Hold on, guys," Silver cautioned his friends. He conveyed his worries to Chase and Jason.

"Are you sure?" Chase asked nervously.

"Yeah."

Jason was concerned. If it were Team Rocket, than that could mean big trouble for the three friends, so he prepared for battle.

Silver, observing the area, noticed a strange figure hiding in the thick brush to the side of the road. He approached the shrubbery carefully. When he reached them, Silver bent down and spread the branches apart to reveal nothing. He let out a sigh of relief, thinking it was only his imagination.

But suddenly, Jason cried out, "Silver, behind you!"

The red-haired boy whirled around to see a figure about his height standing there with a devilish smile on its face. The figure reeled its right arm backwards, readying itself to throw a punch. Silver called upon his strange new powers from the Blue Stone and made a force field of blue-colored energy. The attacker thrust its fist forward, but didn't get passed Silver's shield. The person reeled back, cringing in pain and shaking his hand.

"Milver!" Silver cried out in anger.

"Hello, Silver," Milver replied smugly. "I see you've become accustomed to using that Stone's power." The psychic boy turned to Chase, who was standing a few yards away. "I've been watching you all, and now I know where the Green Stone is."

Chase flinched. "So this is Silver's clone he was talking about?" he thought to himself.

Milver's eyes began to glow a light blue color, and Chase could hear something being unzipped. He saw the Green Stone float over his head, having emerged out of his backpack; it was surrounded by psychic energy. Chase lurched forward, grabbing the glowing gem with both of his hands.

Milver frowned, and without moving, he sent a wave of energy hurtling toward Chase. The boy was knocked down, but he still grasped the Green Stone in his hands.

Jason quickly grabbed one of the Poké Balls on his belt and released Houndoom; he commanded it to use Faint Attack on Milver. It disappeared instantaneously, reappearing behind the psychic and began attacking him ferociously. Since Houndoom was a Dark-type, Milver was almost powerless against it.

Chase rose to his feet shakily while Silver remained observant, watching Milver very closely. It looked like Mewthree was having a hard time fending off Jason's Houndoom. But, he was still able to escape the Pokémon's onslaught and turned his attention to Silver.

Without any time to defend himself, Silver was hit with a blast, throwing him into a tree. The force of the attack sent the Blue Stone flying out of Silver's pocket and onto the ground. Milver quickly picked it up, dodging another attack from Houndoom. Then, strangely, the Green Stone started flashing on and off in Chase's hands. He started to feel the gem imparting more of its energy to him, and he started feeling stronger.

With great speed, Milver moved forward, and as if he had teleported, appeared behind Chase. He hit the boy hard, knocking him out, and he dropped the Green Stone. Milver picked it up, and noticed it was still flashing, as if waiting for Chase to grasp it again. He smiled maliciously and escaped into the trees, though wobbly, having taken great amounts of damage.

Scowling as he watched Milver escape, Silver rushed over to Chase, Jason already holding the boy's unconscious body in his arms.

"We need to get him looked at," Jason declared grimly. "I know there's a Pokémon Center right as you enter Vermilion, maybe the Nurse Joy there could help."

Silver agreed. Jason lifted Chase up and carried him all the way to the Pokémon Center. Once there, Nurse Joy put Chase on a hospital bed in a cozy little room, and would allow the three of them to stay there as long as they needed. Jason reasoned Chase would wake up in a matter of a couple hours, but as time slowly crept by, he started to doubt that theory. Chase was still alive, just unconscious. But for reasons unknown, he would not wake up.

Remembering something he saw earlier, Silver broke the tense silence. "Wait, do you think this has something to do with Chase's Green Stone? When he let go of it, it kept flashing on and off. From my experience, if I let go of my Stone, it would just stop glowing altogether."

"That might be it," Jason agreed. "Maybe Yosocky could help. Didn't he say he gave Chase his phone number?"

"I think he did."

Jason began looking in Chase's backpack, knowing that he would have written it down on something. He easily found the piece of paper that had the number and quickly dialed it in to his cell phone. The elderly man answered a few moments later.

"Hello?" Yosocky's voice came over the speaker.

"Yes, Yosocky? This is Jason."

"Hello, Jason. You sound concerned."

"Chase was hurt," he said curtly.

"What?"

"He's all right, he's just unconscious. We think it might have something to do with his Green Stone."

"What happened, and where are you?"

"We're in Vermilion right now. It's kind of complicated," Jason explained, "but long story short, we got into a fight with someone on the road. Chase's Stone started flashing, then the thief knocked him out and made off with it, and he hasn't woken up yet."

The old man paused for a moment before saying, "It sounds like the Stone was in the middle of giving more of its abilities to Chase. When this assailant knocked him out, my guess is that the Stone fell from his grasp before finishing. Thusly, the Stone left Chase and itself in some sort of stasis. As long as he and the Stone are separated, he will remain unconscious."

"Then we need to get that Stone back! All right, thank you for the help!"

"You're welcome! Keep me informed!"

"Will do." He hung up, and then imparted the information to Silver.

Meanwhile, Chase began to dream. He appeared to be in a dim, rocky area with a black sky overhead. Chase wandered around for a few moments before being surprised by a Pokémon that flew in front of him. It greeted Chase, exclaiming, "Mew!" It was small and pink, with a long tail and soft blue eyes.

"Whoa!" Chase exclaimed. "A Mew! Hey, you scared me." The Pokémon laughed. "Say, where am I?"

The Mew began saying something, except all Chase heard was "Mew, Mew, Mew!" But somehow, he could understand what it meant.

"I'm dreaming?" Chase repeated in English. "Then, that means you're just a figment of my imagination." The Mew shook its head and began to explain. "What's that? You've met me somewhere before?"

It explained that it had encountered Chase one night on Route 9. Mew had sensed that he was a Chaser, and mentally attached itself to him, and that was how it was communicating with him now. The Psychic-type went on to say that it sensed Chase was in trouble, and arrived here in his dream to speak with him. It mentioned something about the strange shockwaves Chase was experiencing.

"You know about those?"

Mew nodded, saying that ever since the events in the town of Michina, Arceus and its other side had been feuding. When Chase turned ten years old, he was ready to become a Chaser and was already obtaining some of his Green Chaser abilities, like being able to sense those shockwaves that were being produced by the two Arceus fighting. It then pointed to something behind Chase. The young Trainer turned around and saw a stone tablet, which wasn't there before.

"Say, how can I understand you, anyway?" Chase asked as he turned back. He was surprised when he didn't see the Mew there. He turned around to face the stone tablet sticking out of the ground, and saw the Psychic-type sitting on it. Obviously, it wanted him to read what was written. He walked over to the tablet, knelt down and wiped his hand on it, cleaning off some of the dirt.

It read, "_To the Green Stone's chosen one, I leave this message. Thou hast the power to sense the divided one, fighting against itself. Once this ability is acknowledged, thou must seek out those who plan to liberate the other half, and forestall their dark designs by keeping separate the Power Stones, lest ruin will befall the world._"

Chase glanced up and saw that Mew was gone. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the stone tablet vanished.

The Trainer rose to his feet, and found he was standing in an endless abyss of darkness. He could see absolutely nothing, until a very large figure flew over him. It had glowing red eyes, and had the shape of a Pokémon with a ring around its stomach. At first, it looked oblivious to Chase's being there, but its eyes shifted toward him as a flash of lightning illuminated the two.

The figure stared at Chase for only a moment before it was attacked by a similar-looking figure that had the same glowing red eyes.

The second beast attacked the first violently until it fought back. The first Pokémon backed away for a moment, but then the two flung themselves against each other and clashed, producing a shockwave akin to the ones Chase had experienced before.

He was rocked back by the force of the energy, but he stood firmly on whatever it was he was standing on. But, when the two Pokémon clashed a second time, he was thrust into the air and hurled a good distance away.

Outside of Chase's dream, Jason and Silver were discussing what their next move was going to be. Silver felt bad that he had brought Chase into this, he didn't want for him to get hurt.

Then came a knock on the door. It was Nurse Joy. "I'm sorry to disturb you," she said, "but Chase has a visitor."

The pink-haired nurse stepped out of the way to let a boy, about eighteen years old, wearing a blue shirt and brown pants into the room.

"Bill?" Jason said in astonishment.

"Hello," he greeted the two. "I came back to Vermilion when I remembered I had left something of mine here in the Pokémon Center. Thankfully, it was in the Center's lost and found. Nurse Joy mentioned a boy who got hurt was staying here, so when she told me his name was Chase, I asked to see him immediately."

"You know Chase?" Jason questioned.

"Yeah, I let him stay the night at my family's vacation home up on Route 25 a while back. We even had a Pokémon battle. What happened to him?"

Jason and Silver exchanged concerned looks, but then filled him in on what had been going on. After the long explanation, and many, many questions, Bill felt as if he had just read a very involved fiction novel, but tried his best to grasp it all. When Silver proposed the computer genius help with the retrieval of the Green Stone from Milver, Bill couldn't help but agree.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Back up at the Galactic Corporation Building in Veilstone City, Celio had been working on the little odd jobs Cyrus had assigned him, but his main focus at the moment was to locate the folder about "Operation Cyclops"; he had misplaced it a few days ago.

Celio's frantic movement around the room caused his Ash Ketchum bobble head to shake vigorously. File cabinet drawers were opened and papers were scattered everywhere. He started worrying that he wouldn't be able to find the folder; then he was struck with an idea. Celio had checked everywhere but behind his desk. Immediately, he started to pull it away from the wall. Lo and behold, there was the folder amongst the dust and Spinarak webs. The programmer smiled with relief, and then sneezed as he breathed in some dust.

After tidying up, Celio began to leaf through the papers of "Operation Cyclops." It explained Team Galactic's involvement in a plan to benefit from the Pokémon Storage System.

On the back page of the document, several Team Galactic leaders, including Cyrus, had signed off on "Operation Cyclops."

It was all clear to him now. "Galactic Corporations" was just a cover, and his work was going to be used for another purpose. Celio opened the document again and read it from cover to cover.

Cyrus was in his office, having a videoconference with two other men.

"Why have you called us together, Cyrus?" came a hardy, seafaring voice.

"I only wanted to update you on the current situation," Cyrus replied casually.

"How is 'Operation Cyclops' coming?" the sophisticated voice asked.

"Excellently," Cyrus replied. "I've already handed off the software that I ordered to be made to my head scientist and computer programmer. I suspect his finalizing should be complete in a few hours, and then we can move ahead to the next stage of the plan. It should be easy to slip in and out of the database undetected. Does that answer your question, Maxie?"

"Yes, it does," he responded.

"Sounds like everything's moving along swimmingly," the hardy voice chimed in.

Cyrus forced a smile to hide his annoyance. "You always have to interject one of your puns, don't you, Archie?"

"I have to leave now," Maxie interrupted. "Keep us posted on your progress."

Back in Celio's office, the young man was busy writing a letter to Bill, briefly explaining the manipulation of the Pokémon Storage System. He needed to tell his friend immediately.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

It had been a few hours since Milver took the Green and Blue Stones. Bill had joined the group, and they were about to go out to search. The three Trainers sat around in Chase's room, discussing their plan of action.

"So, this Milver guy is half Pokémon?" asked Bill. "Doesn't that mean he would be susceptible to super effective attacks?"

"I think so," Silver answered.

"My Houndoom did a good number on him before he took the Stones," Jason explained. "Milver's psychic attacks don't effect it since it's a Dark-type."

"Then we have the upper hand," Bill declared.

"We shouldn't assume anything," said Silver. "He might be able to use our Stones against us somehow."

"Silver's right," Jason admitted. "The best plan of action is to find him, and get at least the Green Stone back. Like I said, my Houndoom banged him up quite a bit, so he shouldn't have been able to get far."

"Then let's go find him!" Silver exclaimed.

Readying their Poké Balls, they set out into the forested area to the northeast of Vermilion. Chase would remain in the care of Nurse Joy and her Chansey while his friends were gone.

Once in the forest, Silver started leading the party in the direction Milver took off in. He found a trail of broken tree branches, twigs, and mangled brush. But after about thirty minutes of searching, their hopes of finding the psychic dropped. They had gone pretty far into the woods, but there was still no sign of Milver.

"Where could he have gone?" Silver asked himself as he came to the end of the trail.

"Hey, look over here!" Jason exclaimed. He was pointing to another footpath of broken twigs and trampled brush. "It looks like he headed southeast from here!" They followed this for a while, but again, it did not lead them to Milver.

"Do you think he escaped to somewhere else?" Bill asked in a whisper.

"No, the trail continues on ahead," replied Jason. "He must be around here somewhere."

"I have an idea," Silver declared. He tossed one of his Poké Balls into the air and released his Crobat. It fluttered in the air for a moment before Silver asked, "Can you go scout ahead and see if you can find the guy who looks like me?" His Crobat nodded and flew through the trees swiftly. "All right, that should help."

The trio set out through the trees again, following the direction of Silver's Pokémon. Jason sent out his Houndoom so he was ready for battle.

"Good thinking," Bill said. He sent out one of his own Pokémon. It was red in color, with a plume of yellow fur around its neck and on top of its head, with a fluffy, yellow tail.

"Flareon!" the Pokémon yawned.

"Now we'll have enough fire-power to take Milver down," Jason chuckled.

So they started off once again. It wasn't long until Crobat came back with news. Silver told it to lead the three Trainers to whatever it had seen, so it turned around and started to fly back.

Approaching a clearing in the woods, they could make out a figure. Silver knelt down behind a bush. Bill and Jason followed, their Pokémon crouching low by their masters.

Silver peeked through and saw Milver sitting on the ground with the Red Stone, the Green Stone, and the Blue Stone surrounding him. It looked like he was in a meditative state. The Red and Blue Stones glowed constantly, while the Green Stone flashed on and off. It looked like Milver was absorbing the Stone's power; thin streams of energy with colors matching the Stones from which they came were wafting towards him.

Silver turned to the other two and said, "Okay, if I can sneak up to him and grab the Stones, we can make a break for it."

"Wait, so that red-colored Stone is the one that he uses?" Bill asked quietly.

"Yeah, we don't need that one right now. But if I can, I'll try and grab it, too."

"You be careful," Jason cautioned. "Bill and I'll be ready to back you up if you can't reach for your Pokémon."

"Thanks," Silver smiled. He took a deep breath and prepared to retrieve the Stones.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Silver crept out from the bushes that he, Bill, and Jason were hiding behind. His vision was fixed on Milver, just a yard or so in front of him. He walked softly, but quickly made his way over. Silver's heart pounded in his chest; he was extremely nervous.

When he reached Milver, Silver slowly bent down and reached for the flashing Green Stone. He picked it up and put it in his pocket. Next, he advanced towards his Blue Stone. Carefully, he reached down and plucked it off the ground, having it erupt with more light on contact.

Silver glanced at Milver, who seemed to sit as if he were a statue. Silver took a deep breath, and then began inching his way toward the Red Stone. But when he reached out to grab it, he was flung into a tree by a psychic attack.

Milver had awakened. Much to Silver's astonishment, his clone didn't look angry at all. He just stood there with a wry grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes.

"Ah, Silver, you followed me," said Milver.

"Darn…" Silver muttered.

"Why don't you just leave me alone? Well, all I can do to make you stop is to destroy you, I suppose."

Milver's eyes began to glow light blue as a look of contempt appeared on his face, but a stream of fire hit him before he could do anything. He whirled around to see Bill, his Flareon, and Jason. Then suddenly, Houndoom hit him from behind with a Faint Attack.

"You brought reinforcements, did you?" Milver growled while he regained his balance. "Why you…!"

Milver shot a blast at Silver, who made a barrier. The boy then shot back with his own blue-colored blast of energy, but Milver deflected it with ease.

"Silver!" Jason exclaimed. "Get that Stone out of here! We'll fend him off!"

Silver began to run into the forest, but Milver tried to reach out and grab him with his psychic abilities. Houndoom jumped in the line of fire and acted like a shield, rendering Milver's attack useless.

"Confounded interlopers!" the psychic cried.

Jason, Bill, and their Pokémon prepared for the next wave of Milver's attacks as Silver ran back to Vermilion.

Milver turned to Jason and clenched his Red Stone firmly. It glowed brightly, and he sent a ball of red-colored psychic energy zooming toward Jason. Houndoom jumped in front of Milver's attack and defended him. The psychic energy was dispelled by Houndoom's Dark-type, but it suffered a slight blowback from the Red Stone's properties in the blast.

Bill called to his Flareon and told it to use Bite, and it quickly ran up to Milver. The Fire-type bit his leg, and he let out a yelp. Knowing his powers would work on this Pokémon, he attacked and threw Flareon into a tree. Despite it having taken major damage, it rose to its feet and stayed on guard.

Now, both Houndoom and Flareon launched a Flamethrower at Milver, who was engulfed in the flames. Bill and Jason looked on expectantly, and suddenly their Pokémon's attacks were stopped by Milver's energy, and he leapt high into the air. Baring a scowl, he started to fly towards the northwest. Jason let out his Salamence, who headed Milver off above the trees.

"You aren't going anywhere!" Jason exclaimed wryly. Milver's hands were clenched as blue energy started to surround them, preparing for an attack.

Silver had gotten back to Vermilion. He ran inside the Pokémon Center through the front door and past Nurse Joy, surprising her and making her Chansey topple over.

Silver dashed to Chase's room to see him lying in his bed as they had left him. Hesitating for only a moment, he reached into his pocket and put the flashing Green Stone into Chase's hands.

It's flashing began to slow until it had ceased to shine on and off, and began to continuously glow like normal. Chase opened his eyes, and groggily sat up, looking around the room.

He turned his gaze to Silver and said, "Silver? Where are we? What happened? I had the weirdest dream…"

"My clone knocked you out. You've been unconscious for about the past three hours, but you're all right now," Silver reassured him.

"Uh, where's Jason?" the boy asked while rubbing his eyes, still sounding sleepy.

"Right now, he's fending off Milver along with your friend Bill."

"What? Bill?"

"Yeah, so we need to go help them! Hurry!"

Chase hopped out of bed, put on his belt and fastened it. They both ran out of the Center, thanking Nurse Joy for being so nice. Chase followed his friend through the woods and toward the site where Jason and Bill were doing battle.

It took a while to reach there, but they eventually arrived to see both Jason and Bill using Full Restores on their Pokémon. Milver was nowhere in sight.

"Hi, guys!" Chase said happily.

"Look, it's Sleeping Beauty!" Jason joked. "I see you're finally awake."

"What did I miss?"

"Oh, just an intense fight with a psychic maniac," he replied nonchalantly. "You know, just another day at the office."

"Sounds like you had fun," Chase chuckled. "Hi, Bill! I see you have a Flareon now!"

"Yeah, once I got an evolutionary stone," Bill explained, "I evolved Eevee the first chance I got."

"Wow, that's awesome! Speaking of which, my Charmander evolved!"

"Great!"

"Hey, guys?" Jason interrupted. "We can catch up at the Pokémon Center, all right?" Everyone agreed, and the quartet headed back into town.

When they arrived, they all sat down at a table in the cafeteria. It was already sunset, and the orange rays from outside came flowing in through the large windows of the building.

"So, Chase," Bill started, "how's your Pokémon journey coming?"

"Well, I have two Badges," Chase explained, "and I have a team of five Pokémon now."

"Awesome! I just recently got my third Badge. Incidentally, I got it from the Gym in this City."

"Really? That's great, Bill! I think I'll challenge that Gym tomorrow, since it's getting so late."

"Sounds good," Jason commented.

"So, anyway, how are your Pokémon, Bill?" Chase asked.

"Good, I've caught and trained a good team. You already know Eevee evolved into a Flareon."

They all continued to converse with each other over dinner. Then, they stayed the night at the Pokémon Center. Chase was especially excited for his Gym battle that would take place the next day, and wouldn't fall asleep until later that night.

****************


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

It was early the next morning in Vermilion City. Chase and the others were eating breakfast. Everyone had an order of Chansey eggs, either scrambled or fried. Bill declared they were the best he had ever eaten. But, their pleasant meal was soon interrupted when Nurse Joy approached their table in the cafeteria. She said there was someone there looking for Chase.

Bewildered, the Trainer stood up to see who it was. A stout figure entered the room wearing a yellow-colored, Japanese-styled garb that hung down over his black pants. The elderly man had gray hair and a smile on his face. "Hello, Chase!" he said.

"Yosocky?" Chase exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard from Jason yesterday that you had been hurt," he explained, "so I decided to come to Vermilion and try to help. I'm glad to see you up and about."

"Yeah," Jason interjected, "we were able to get the Stones back."

"Good!" replied the old man. "May I join you? I've been traveling for a while and I must admit, I am mighty hungry."

"Sure, take a seat!" Silver chimed in.

Yosocky sat down and ordered. As he was waiting, he noticed who was sitting on the far side of the table.

"Hmm? Are you by any chance Bill, the lad who invented the Pokémon Storage System?"

Bill, caught with his mouth full, swallowed and replied, "Yes, that's me. You don't know how many times I've been asked that question while on my Pokémon journey," the boy laughed. "And then I ran into one guy who actually thought I was joking when I told him who I was."

Soon, Yosocky's order was delivered, and he began to eat. When everyone was finishing, Yosocky quietly said, "Bill, have these fine young lads mentioned to you anything about special stones?"

"Yeah," Bill responded. "Silver and Jason tried their best to explain what was going on to me."

"Good. Then I take it you won't be entirely left in the dark." He turned to face the other two. "So, Chase and Silver. How goes that practice?"

"It's going well," Silver replied happily.

"I've learned how to use Charmeleon's Flamethrower without burning myself now!" Chase answered proudly.

"That's fantastic! Now, let me explain something. One of the reasons I came here was to give you more information about the Stones. Chase, I told you that you can use the attacks of Pokémon you are close with, but I forgot to tell you that you could also use their abilities, as well. Plus, you aren't just limited to the moves and abilities of Pokémon you are close with. It is possible to use moves of Pokémon that you have just recently met, though it is extremely hard to do so.

"And as the Blue Chaser," Yosocky continued, turning his gaze to Silver, "you can use the Blue Stone's power to sense other people's aura, much like the Pokémon Lucario can. It takes a lot of practice, but it comes in handy when coupled with your other powers. Someday you'll be able to use that power."

"Wow!" the boys chorused.

"How do you know all of this?" Bill asked from across the table, intrigued.

"Well," Yosocky chuckled, "I should think it would be expected of me to know these things. After all, I _was_ a Chaser back in the day."

"Really?" Chase exclaimed, astonished.

"Yes. The Blue Chaser, to be exact."

"Then that must mean," said Silver, "the Blue Stone chose you as its rightful owner back then."

"Yes." He turned to the younger boy. "Chase, I knew you were special from the first moment I met you. I could sense your aura; it resembled that of my good friend, who was the Green Chaser. You experiencing those strange shockwaves only helped prove my thoughts."

"This is certainly a surprise," Jason admitted with a wry grin.

"What kind of adventures did you go on?" Chase asked with excitement.

"My friends and I did all sorts of things. There was even a time where we helped the Legendary Trio of Johto. It was certainly an exhilarating experience."

"How amazing!" Bill replied, looking with wonder at Yosocky.

Later, Chase was getting ready to head to the Vermilion Gym. Yosocky, Bill, Silver, and Jason were all going with him to watch the match. Excited at the information imparted unto him earlier, and determined to win his third Badge, Chase departed with the others from the Pokémon Center.

The Gym was overlooking Vermilion Bay, and the sun reflected off the water and shone on the building's walls, making patterns like waves dance across them.

They walked in through the front door to see a man in a green camouflage, short-sleeved shirt and matching pants standing nearby on the battlefield. He had spiky blond hair and wore black combat boots. He turned his head and glanced at his visitors, turning around to greet them.

"Hello!" he called to the Trainers robustly. "I'm Lieutenant Surge, the Gym Leader here."

"Nice to meet you!" Chase said happily, extending a hand.

After he had shaken Chase's hand, Surge noticed that Jason was standing there, seeing he wore clothes similar to his own. He walked closer to him and said, "Hey, you look like you're from the military."

"Actually, I am," Jason replied. "My enlistment is almost up, though."

"Well, birds of a feather flock together, I always say!" Surge laughed. "As you may already know, I served in the military once. It's nice to see someone of your background here."

"Thank you."

"Excuse me," Chase broke in, "but I'm here for a Gym battle."

"Right! Let's get to it, shall we?"

Jason, Silver, Bill, and Yosocky all sat on the metal bleachers to the side of the battlefield as Chase and Surge got into position.

Lt. Surge reached for his belt and tossed out his first choice; a Voltorb took form. It was a mean-looking, rotund Pokémon that resembled a Poké Ball.

"Charmeleon!" Chase called. "I choose you!"

The Fire-type took form on the ground, and immediately shot a Flamethrower into the air to try and intimidate its foe.

The referee declared it would be a three-on-three match and told Chase he could have the first turn. The Trainer commanded Charmeleon to use a Metal Claw.

It ran up to Surge's Voltorb with its claws glowing a metallic white. It swung back and prepared to strike, but the Gym Leader suddenly called, "Screech!"

Voltorb let out a deafening noise that stopped Charmeleon in its tracks. The Fire-type covered its ears, cringing. Surge commanded Voltorb to use a Rollout attack. It started rolling towards the momentarily immobilized opponent and knocked it to the ground.

Charmeleon hit the floor hard, then struggled to get up and watched Voltorb circle back around for another go. Before Chase could call out a move, Charmeleon was hit again. This time, the attack did even more damage due to Voltorb's ever-increasing momentum.

As the Ball Pokémon circled around the second time, Chase called out, "Use Flamethrower!" Charmeleon opened its maw, and a strong jet of fire exploded outwards. Voltorb, unable to stop, rolled right into the fire. As it slowly coasted out of the inferno, it was evident that Surge's Pokémon was knocked out.

Surge returned his Pokémon, though he wasn't angered or displeased. Instead, he was chuckling.

"Good thinking! Your Charmeleon is pretty strong!" Surge called over to Chase. He then sent out his next Pokémon, a Magneton.

At the sight of the half Steel-type, Chase decided to keep Charmeleon in, despite the damage it had taken.

This time, Surge got the first turn, and he commanded, "Magneton, use Thundershock!"

Before it could retaliate, Charmeleon was shocked and took considerable damage, but it was not out of the battle yet.

"Get close to it and use Flamethrower!" Chase shouted.

The Flame Pokémon ran up to Magneton and shot a strong Flamethrower at pointblank range. Surge's Electric-type was easily knocked out, and it fell to the ground, charred.

"Whoa," Lt. Surge muttered as he returned his Pokémon. "This reminds me of the time we were stranded deep past enemy lines back in the war. We were under attack for nearly twenty-four hours with Flamethrowers-a-blazing, and all we had to eat was a box of Pokémon crackers and a block of American cheese."

As Lt. Surge was reminiscing, Chase got Charmeleon's attention and said, "Hey, do you want to take a break?" Charmeleon shook its head. It was still raring to go.

After the Gym Leader returned to the present, he released his third combatant. It was large, it stood on two legs, and it had black stripes across its body. It was a very strong-looking Electabuzz.

"All right! Charmeleon, use Dragon Rage!"

It opened its mouth and shot a light purple-colored ball. Surge called out for Electabuzz to execute a ThunderPunch. It socked the ball of energy, making it explode, though the Electric Pokémon took no damage. It ran up to Charmeleon and punched it with the same move right in the stomach, knocking it out easily.

Chase returned Charmeleon, saying how it did such a good job, and then pulled a second Poké Ball off of his belt. "Here we go!" he shouted. His ball released a white stream of light that hit the ground and slowly materialized into a figure.

What took form was a lean, mean, Pokémon fighting machine. It was tough. It was ready to fight. It was…Caterpie!

Surge laughed at the sight of such a puny Pokémon. "I'm sorry, but are you serious?" he asked as he wiped a tear from his eye.

Caterpie puffed itself up in anger and awaited a command from its Trainer, hopefully telling it to clobber the Gym Leader's Electabuzz, who was also laughing.

"Caterpie," Chase started, "use Tackle!"

The Bug-type slinked up to the guffawing Electabuzz and began jumping at it with all its might. Without receiving a command from Surge, the Electric Pokémon dodged. Caterpie kept at it, but it wasn't fast enough to hit the evading opponent.

Though Caterpie and Electabuzz were the only ones to hear this, Electabuzz said with a sneer and an Austrian accent, "Aw, what's wrong? Can't you hit me, little bug?" Caterpie remained silent as it kept jumping at him. "Not a talker, eh? No matter, you won't be talking after I crush you!"

Electabuzz made a fist, which was then covered in an electrical current. Caterpie jumped out of the way just in time to see Electabuzz break the ground with its ThunderPunch.

"Nice dodge!" Chase exclaimed. "Now, String Shot!"

Caterpie shot a thick string out at the opponent and attached it to Electabuzz's wrist. Surge, having seen this strategy before, called out, "Electabuzz, wrap it around your arm!"

The Electric-type obeyed, grabbed Caterpie's string, and began twirling it around, its opponent not having enough time to cut itself from the tether. Eventually, Caterpie was tied to Electabuzz's wrist and could not escape.

"Now use ThunderPunch!" Surge shouted.

Electricity started flowing all around Electabuzz's arm, shocking Caterpie very badly. Chase could only watch as his Bug-type was knocked out by the attack. Electabuzz then brushed the Bug-type off its arm nonchalantly and walked away. Chase held its Poké Ball and returned Caterpie, saddened to see it defeated in such a way. He reached for his third ball, and released the Pokémon from within.

It was Gastly! The playful ghost flew around in circles for a moment before readying itself for battle.

"Hello," Gastly said eerily. "I am terrifying, wouldn't you say?" Electabuzz shook its head from side-to-side. "Bleh!" the ghost exclaimed as it stuck its tongue out. But still, the other Pokémon was not afraid.

"Gastly," Chase called, "use Lick!"

The Ghost-type obeyed, flew up to Electabuzz, and tried to lick it with its enormous tongue. But Surge told his Pokémon to use ThunderPunch, and knocked Gastly away. It floated just above the ground and looked rather beat up.

"Ha!" Surge's Electabuzz scoffed. "Not so tough, eh? Ha, ha!"

Gastly, now willing to get serious, rose off the ground slowly. It began to glow with a bright light, and started to grow larger. Gastly now had hands, and when the light faded, everyone could see that it had evolved into a Haunter.

"Awesome!" the young Trainer exclaimed. "Now, how about you show us a Shadow Ball!"

Haunter nodded and began making a sphere of dark purple energy in its right hand. "If you weren't scared before," it said, "just wait until you see my pitching!"

Haunter threw its Shadow Ball, which was able to land a hit on Electabuzz. The Gas Pokémon began making more Shadow Balls in both of its hands, and then bombarded the foe with them over and over again.

"Hit the dirt!" Surge cried as he and his Pokémon both crouched to the ground. "Evasive action, we're under attack!"

Electabuzz used Thundershock while trying to dodge the Shadow Balls, but the attack missed horribly.

"Now, use Hypnosis!" Chase commanded confidently.

Haunter disappeared, suddenly reappearing in front of Electabuzz. Before the Electric-type could react, Haunter put it to sleep with a strange wave of energy. Next, Haunter used a Shadow Ball at pointblank range, effectively knocking Surge's last Pokémon out.

"The Gym Leader's last Pokémon is unconscious and unable to battle. The victory goes to Chase!" the referee exclaimed.

Chase ran out onto the battlefield and hugged his newly evolved Haunter, who jokingly passed through him like a ghost normally would, but then it celebrated with its Trainer. Everyone watching from the sidelines clapped, and Surge returned Electabuzz.

He walked over to Chase, taking a Badge out from his pocket. With a satisfied grin, he said, "Here, you've earned the Thunder Badge."

"Thank you!" Chase thanked the Gym Leader.

"No, thank you! That was a great battle!"

Chase opened his blue jacket and pinned the new Badge into it with the rest of his collection. His friends joined him and they said goodbye to Surge. Everyone left the Gym and headed back to the Pokémon Center, where Chase got his Pokémon healed.

Soon after, Yosocky told everyone that he should be getting back to Lavender, and asked Chase for his phone number.

"Chase, I'm afraid I don't recall getting your number," said Yosocky. "Could I get it from you, just in case?"

"Sure," Chase responded happily. He took out a piece of paper and wrote down his phone number, then handed it to Yosocky.

"Thank you! Never know when this might come in handy, you know." After that, he departed from Chase and company, heading east down Route 11.

Then, when Chase was trying to figure out where to go next, Bill suggested heading back up to Saffron to see if the Gym Leader there was accepting any challenges yet. Reasoning that even if Sabrina still wasn't accepting battles, the four friends could still head to Celadon from there. Everyone agreed to set out the next day.

Later that night, Bill received a package. It was addressed to him from someone in the Sinnoh Region. The delivery service for trainers was very good at finding the mail's recipients with the Pokémon Centers helping out.

"It must be from Celio!" Bill thought.

He took the package into his room in the Pokémon Center and opened it. Inside was a letter. It read: "Bill, I found out some disturbing information that I think you should know. But, try to keep this to yourself for the time being."

Bill, intrigued, opened up the book and began reading all of Celio's notes. He was astonished at his friend's findings. Regarding Celio's wishes, he did not relay any of this information to anyone.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The next day, Chase, Silver, Jason, and Bill headed for Saffron City. While on the way, the group stopped around noon to have lunch. Afterward, Chase and Silver decided to put on a little demonstration for Bill.

Chase held flames in his hands without burning himself, and also tried to make a Shadow Ball for the first time, which was only the size of a marble that popped in a few seconds. Silver demonstrated his ability to make blue-colored force fields, and accidentally knocked a few branches out of a nearby tree by launching an energy wave. Bill was amazed at what each of them could do.

Eventually, they reached Saffron City. The clanging of construction machinery and materials still rang throughout the streets, and Chase and his friends went to the Pokémon Center to rest up. There, he inquired about Sabrina to Nurse Joy. The nurse told him that she was still occupied with helping rebuild things around the city, so the group decided to head to Celadon. Not without kicking back and relaxing for a bit, of course.

While Chase, Jason, and Silver were making jokes and having a good time in the Trainer's lounge, Bill stepped outside to the main lobby to see if he could call Celio. He used one of the few TV phones that were set up for use there, since there wasn't a regular phone booth stationed anywhere. Celio had a cell phone, though, so no image would appear on the monitor.

Bill dialed in the number and waited for him to answer. But, with every passing ring, his hopes of contacting his friend dwindled.

"I wonder if he's okay?" Bill thought to himself. "I shouldn't be worrying, though. He's probably busy right now, what with all that information he uncovered the other day."

Bill hung the receiver up and rejoined his companions in the lounge. He reasoned he would try and get a hold of Celio later.

Meanwhile, over at Mt. Silver, Professor Anthony Nelson was waiting in one of the hangers of the base. He watched as a Team Rocket helicopter flew in and landed. Out from inside came a man wearing a purple suit with a large red "R" sown onto the pocket of his coat.

"Art, it's nice to see you!" Nelson greeted him happily.

"And it's nice to see you, too, Grandfather," Art replied. "I wasn't expecting to be back at headquarters so soon."

"Indeed. Do you know why you were called back?"

"Yes, Giovanni wanted me to assist you in your ongoing project."

"Right. Come with me, he wanted to meet with us as soon as you arrived."

The two Nelsons left the hanger and headed for their leader's office. After knocking on his door, they were invited in.

"Hello, sir," Anthony said.

"Hello. I see Executive Nelson has arrived," Giovanni responded. "Come with me, I have something to show you."

Giovanni lead them to the construction area. Inside, many Rockets were working on a large, but partially incomplete airship. Art was struck with awe at the sight of such a colossal aircraft.

"This," Giovanni stated, "is what I want you to help Professor Nelson complete. We have many of our engineers working on it, but I need the most important components completed and implemented into the ship's mainframe. I trust you and your grandfather will know what to do, seeing as you are some of Team Rocket's brightest minds." With that, he left the rest up to the Professor and Executive and retired to his office.

After studying the aircraft briefly, Art turned to his elder and said, "So, what needs to be done, first?"

"Well," Anthony began, "I suppose you can help me finish the work on this ship's special capturing device. Since you helped with the design for the three varieties of Rocket Nets, we should be able to come up with the components we're missing."

"Might I suggest using a laser-guided air cannon to propel the means of capture? And since this will be in a moving aircraft, why don't we fit it with a gyrostabilizer?"

"Great ideas! Let's get to work."

****************


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Around one o'clock, Chase and company decided it was time to disembark from Saffron and head west to Celadon. They were gathering their things and were about to depart from the Pokémon Center.

"I think if we can make it to Celadon quick enough," said Jason as he rummaged through his backpack, "we can go to the department store there. I'm sure we all need to stock up on supplies."

"Good thinking, Jason," Bill responded.

Soon after, they left the Center and headed out through the city's west guardhouse. The guard on duty there was extremely parched, so Chase offered him a drink.

As they approached Celadon City from Route 7, Bill looked over at Chase and noticed a slight twinkle in his eyes.

"So, Chase," Bill started, "Are you excited about your next Gym battle?"

"You bet!" he replied. "Aren't you?"

"Yes, I am! I'm hoping my team will perform well!"

Once in the city, they went to the department store and shopped for a bit. Chase had bought some food, as did Jason and Silver. As Bill searched around the shelves, he took an interest in a sale of an evolutionary stone set. Jason bought a cowboy hat that had caught his eye, and he wore it proudly.

Next, Chase made a beeline to the city's Gym. The others almost lost him in the sea of people and cars that filled the streets. But they were all able to reach their destination without being separated.

When Chase, Bill, Jason, and Silver reached the Celadon Gym, the group went inside to inquire about having a battle. Luckily, they were able to catch the Gym Leader as she was leaving.

Her name was Erika; she was a tall, skinny woman with a red headband in her shoulder-length black hair, and wore a green Japanese-style robe known as a kimono.

When Chase asked her about having a Gym battle, she replied, "I'm sorry, I can't at the moment. I'm hosting the Pokémon Ping-Pong Tournament that is going on today. I apologize, you will have to come back at another time."

Chase, a little discouraged, politely thanked Erika and let her go on her way. He rejoined his friends and accompanied them to the Pokémon Center.

On the way there, Chase came to a conclusion. "I think I'll enter that Ping-Pong competition," he thought out loud.

"What was that?" Silver asked, not quite catching what Chase said.

"I'm thinking of entering the Ping-Pong Tournament that's being held today," Chase explained.

"I've heard of those, but I doubt I'd be any good at the game," Bill chuckled.

"Hey, do you think there would be some information on it at the Pokémon Center? I'd like to see what time it starts."

"Oh, I'm sure there'd be a flyer there or something," said Jason.

The quartet arrived at the Center and entered. They looked around for a flyer that would hopefully tell of the competition. Chase was able to locate one. It said that the tournament was to start at three o'clock that day.

Glancing at the clock, Chase saw that it was two-thirty. He gathered up his friends and they all headed out.

The flyer had stated that the Ping-Pong Tournament would be held in the community center, which was near the department store, just northwest of the Celadon Game Corner.

Chase entered the lobby and inquired about signing up. The lady there was polite and gave him a registry form for him to fill out. He did so and then handed it back to the woman, who told him, "You're all signed up! Please enjoy the competition."

Jason, Silver, and Bill followed Chase into the large gymnasium-like room that would be used for the tournament. There were many tables set up, and a lot of the players were already there. Chase let out his Poliwag.

"Hey, Poliwag!" he greeted his small Water-type. "We're going to compete in another Ping-Pong competition! Isn't that great?"

A look of excitement washed over Poliwag's face, and it hopped up and down happily while saying its name. But, unexpectedly, Poliwag began to glow with a strange white light. The Pokémon grew bigger and developed arms.

After the light faded, Chase exclaimed, "Poliwag! You evolved!"

"Hmm, I've seen this before," said Jason.

"Really?" Silver asked.

"Yeah, Pokémon usually evolve when they get excited," he explained.

"Sounds exciting."

"This is awesome!" Chase exclaimed. "Poliwhirl and I are going to have some fun!"

"Poliwhirl!" the Water-type replied in a deeper voice.

Unbeknownst to Poliwhirl, a dark figure loomed behind it. Sensing this, the Water-type turned around to see a menacing Poliwrath staring back at it. The smaller Tadpole Pokémon ducked behind its Trainer and hid in fear. Chase looked up from Poliwrath to see a familiar face.

"Hi, Chase!" Poliwrath's owner greeted him.

It was Jeremy, the Trainer who Chase had met at the last Ping-Pong Tournament in Beige Town. He had brown, curly hair, and wore a green shirt and white shorts.

"Hi, there, Jeremy! Fancy meeting you here!"

"Yeah! How've you been?"

"Good. As you can see, my Poliwag just evolved!" Chase stepped to the side to reveal his cowering Poliwhirl.

"Great!" Jeremy replied.

"So, how have you been doing?"

"Pretty good. I've just been roaming around Kanto, trying to find Ping-Pong competitions. Oh, by the way, I hear that if you place in the top three today, you will be awarded a King's Rock!"

"Yeah, I read that on a flyer. Pretty cool!"

"I'll say! Come to think of it, if you can get at least third, you'll be able to evolve your Poliwhirl again!" Jeremy's attention shifted to the people who were standing behind his acquaintance. "Hello, are you friends of Chase?"

"You got it," Bill replied. "I'm Bill, nice to meet you!"

"Hello, I'm Jason."

"And I'm Silver."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Jeremy smiled. "Are you all entering, too?"

"No," Silver responded. "We're just here to watch."

"That's fine."

"Jeremy!" exclaimed someone from behind as he stumbled about the equipment scattered around.

"Tyson?" the Ping-Pong player asked in astonishment.

"Hi there!" It was Tyson, the boy who Chase first encountered in Pewter City.

"Whoa, Chase?" Tyson said in surprise as he came to a stop beside Jeremy.

"Hi, there, Tyson!" Chase replied happily.

"Wait, you know Tyson?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah, I've battled him a few times before. How do you know him?"

"He's my cousin," Jeremy explained. "I never thought I'd run into _you_ at a Ping-Pong Tournament, Tyson!"

"I heard about the prizes, so I thought I'd enter," said his cousin. "I guess this'll be a competition to remember!"

"It's amazing how everyone seems to know each other," Silver quipped softly to Jason.

"Well, the tournament's about to start, so I need to go and prepare," said Jeremy as he turned to leave.

"I should go, too," Tyson replied.

"Okay, I'll see you guys later!" Chase declared.

And with that, the two other Trainers went their separate ways to get ready for the start of the Ping-Pong competition.

****************


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The Ping-Pong Tournament was about to commence inside Celadon City's community center, and Erika, Celadon's Gym Leader, stepped up onto the stage. In her speech, she said how honored she was to host the games, and then declared, "Let the Ping-Pong competition begin!"

The announcer for the event took over and told the competitors where to go for their first matches, along with a quick rundown on the rules.

In Chase's first match, he fought a girl with a Cubone. He used his newly evolved Poliwhirl, who was more confident now that it had hands to play with.

Poliwhirl and Chase were able to win their first event, and so did Jeremy and Tyson. From a distance, he could see that Jeremy was using his Poliwrath, and that Tyson was using his Ivysaur.

The next match wasn't so forgiving, but he was still able to pull out a win. He had five pointes while the opponent had four. Again, Jeremy and Tyson had won their matches, as well.

Chase and his Pokémon did their best and made their way up to the top of the bracket. Finally, it was time for one of the two semifinal matches. It was Chase against Jeremy, and neither looked ready to lose.

As they approached the table, Jeremy quipped, "Déjà vu. I feel like we've done this before."

"Heh, are you ready?" Chase asked wryly.

"Yeah!"

The match began. Chase served, sending the ping-pong ball hurtling at Jeremy, who swiftly returned it. Chase stepped aside and let Poliwhirl hit. The ball went back to Jeremy. He tried making the ball slice off to the right end of the table on Chase's side, but the young Trainer was able to return it.

Jeremy's Poliwrath took over from there and punched the ball with all its might. The small sphere zoomed towards Poliwhirl, who swung its arm in self-defense Luckily, the ball was returned and went right passed Jeremy and his Pokémon, scoring Chase and Poliwhirl a point.

This time, Jeremy served. But instead, he let his Pokémon do it. The ball went streaking towards Chase and whizzed by him after bouncing off the table.

The two were now tied. Chase served, and from then on, the ball went back and forth across the table at blistering speeds, seldom bouncing off the table and earning someone a point.

The first player to five points would win the match. Both Chase and Jeremy had four points, and the tension was high. Chase served next. He knew that if it went towards Poliwrath, the ball would come back twice as fast, so he served it towards Jeremy. He returned the ball, and then Poliwhirl hit it across the table.

Poliwrath reeled back and hit the ball back to Poliwhirl, who was able to return it despite the ball's velocity. Jeremy returned once more, but Chase was able to land a lucky hit that earned him the win.

"The winner is Chase!" the announcer declared. The crowd cheered.

It was time for the finals. Chase stepped up to the last table as the announcer shouted, "And now it's finally time! Who will win? Chase and his Poliwhirl, or Tyson and his Ivysaur?"

Tyson walked up to the ping-pong table.

"Hi there!" Chase exclaimed, holding his hand up.

"Poli!" the Water-type mimicked its Trainer.

"Hi," replied Tyson. "Are you ready to lose?"

"Well, I wasn't really planning to. I don't have 'losing' down in my day planner."

"Now, let's begin!" came the announcer's voice.

Chase, Tyson, and their Pokémon readied themselves for the match. The coin flip decided that Tyson would serve, and the ball went hurtling toward Poliwhirl. The Pokémon returned it, and sent the white sphere towards Ivysaur.

The Grass-type used Vine Whip to hit the ball, and sent it back to Chase. Unfortunately, he was not able to reach the ball in time, and Tyson scored a point.

Chase served the next ball, but Tyson immediately returned it and sent it whizzing past Poliwhirl. That made two points for Chase's opponents.

Chase and Poliwhirl tried their best to keep up with Tyson, but eventually, they only had three points while Tyson had four.

With one last, well-executed serve, Tyson was able to attain the win. He exclaimed, "Yes! I did it! We won!" He and his Pokémon did a little jig. Maybe they were showing off or trying to rub their victory in, but Chase couldn't have cared less and returned to his friends.

Shortly after, they held the award ceremony. The top three were Tyson, who placed first, Chase, who placed second, and Jeremy, who was able to place third, and they all received King's Rocks for doing so well.

Afterwards, Chase and friends were sitting on the bleachers of the auditorium, talking about the event. Jeremy had joined them.

Jason was getting compliments on his new hat. "I really like it!" said Chase

"I think it suits you," Silver commented.

"Thanks, guys," Jason replied.

Chase looked around curiously. "Say, where did Tyson go?"

"I saw him leave as soon as we got off the stage," Jeremy replied.

"He's always on the move."

"It's cool that you got King's Rocks!" Silver chimed in.

"…Speaking of which, where did mine go?" asked Chase as he rummaged through his backpack.

"I think I know," Jason declared, smiling. He pointed to something behind Chase a few feet away. Poliwhirl had the King's Rock situated on its head like a crown.

"Will you look at that?" said Bill.

Jeremy smiled, anticipating what was going to happen next. Suddenly, Poliwhirl began to glow much like it had before. The Water-type grew a little bit bigger, and developed a curly strand of hair on its head. Once the light faded away, Chase could see that its skin was now green.

"Poliwhirl evolved into a Politoed!" Chase exclaimed.

"That's great!" said Jeremy.

"Wow, two evolutions in one day? Don't you think that was a little too fast?" Silver asked.

"No, it's very common for Pokémon to evolve twice in a row," explained Bill. "Given if they are Pokémon that use evolutionary stones or items. Like the King's Rock, for example."

"You're right," Jeremy interjected. "A Pokémon will evolve and then get a hold of the item they need to evolve again shortly after."

After examining his new Politoed for a moment, Chase gave it a hug, thanked it for doing such a great job in the tournament, and returned it to its Poké Ball. He looked over at the stage to see Erika helping with the clean up. Chase approached the Gym Leader and said, "Hello!"

"Hello," she responded. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes. If you have the time, may I please have a Gym battle with you?"

"Sure! Just come on over to the Gym in an hour and we can battle!"

"Thank you!"

He returned to his friends and told them that he was going over to the Gym for a battle later. Everyone congratulated him, and then Jeremy said, "I think I might tag along to watch your battle. I don't have to leave yet."

"That's great! Thanks!"

****************


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Chase walked into the Celadon City Gym, ready to battle for his next Badge. He led his friends inside the building and walked into a large room with a grassy battlefield. There, Erika the Gym Leader was waiting.

Silver, Jason, Bill, and Jeremy all took a seat on the bleachers by the sidelines and waited in anticipation for the immanent match.

"Hello again!" Chase greeted Erika.

"Hello," she replied. "Lovely weather we're having… Oh, I'm sorry. Shall we get right to the battle?" The two Trainers took their positions on opposite sides of the battlefield.

The referee told Chase he would have the first turn, and they began. Erika used a Tangela, while Chase used his Pidgeotto.

The young Trainer ordered it to use Gust. The Flying-type batted its wings vigorously and created a powerful wind. Erika's Tangela was almost swept off its feet, but managed to withstand the attack.

"Use Wing Attack!" Chase shouted.

Pidgeotto immediately went hurtling toward the dazed Grass-type. It was able to land a solid hit on the Tangela, knocking it over. But then, Erika exclaimed, "Use Vine Whip!"

The Vine Pokémon shot one of its long vines at Pidgeotto and grabbed it. Tangela slammed the Bird Pokémon into the ground. Pidgeotto got to its feet and rubbed its head with its wing. It muttered something to itself as it regained its composure.

"Use Quick Attack, Pidgeotto!" Chase called.

The Flying-type whirled around and leaped towards Tangela, flapping its wings to become airborne again and leaving a trail of white light behind it. The Grass-type Pokémon was hit hard; it fell to the ground, knocked out. Pidgeotto returned to Chase's side of the field and landed. It breathed heavily and looked tired.

"Great job, Pidgeotto! That's how you do it!" Chase cheered. Pidgeotto started to feel a little bit better because of its Trainer's support.

Next, Erika sent out a Victreebel. Chase kept Pidgeotto in the battle; he was confidant that it could make quick work of the Grass-type Pokémon.

"Okay, use Wing Attack!"

Pidgeotto took to the air again and flew at Victreebel. It looked as if Erika was just going to let it land the attack and said nothing.

When it got close enough, Erika commanded firmly, "Use Vine Whip!" Victreebel spun around and smacked Pidgeotto across the face with a thick vine, knocking it to the ground. "Good job!" she exclaimed. Erika told her Pokémon to use Vine Whip again. It obeyed and executed the move, then by Erika's command, slammed the Flying-type against the ground, knocking it out.

This was the strategy Erika used with her Tangela. Chase would have to be cautious to not fall for the same trick again. He had a hunch that maybe her next Pokémon would also know Vine Whip, so he would have to try and end the battle quickly.

Chase returned his Pidgeotto glumly, thanking it for doing such a splendid job. Knowing he would need to keep his most powerful partner, Charmeleon, in reserve in case the circumstances turned ugly, he chose the Pokémon that he knew would want another chance at winning a Gym battle.

The young Trainer tossed a Poké Ball into the air. It popped open and released a white stream of light that hit the ground and began to materialize. The Pokémon that emerged was green and had a look of determination in its eyes.

Caterpie had taken the field! It stared into the yellow blob that was Victreebel's stomach, and then slowly looked up. Realizing that its opponent was much bigger than itself and was much more menacing, Caterpie began to quake in fear.

"Caterpie, what's the matter?" Chase called from across the battlefield. "Use a Tackle attack, you can do it!"

The small Bug-type held its head high, then dashed forward to attempt ramming Victreebel in the stomach.

"Vine Whip!" Erika commanded.

The Flycatcher Pokémon moved its vine in front of itself and caught Caterpie in mid-tackle. Chase's caterpillar squirmed and tried to wiggle out of the plant Pokémon's grasp, but to no avail.

Caterpie realized something: Victreebel was a carnivorous plant Pokémon that ate insects. The Bug Pokémon began fearing for its life and shot a large amount of silk into Victreebel's mouth to try and plug it up. The flower started to cough valiantly, releasing its grasp.

"Wow, nice thinking, Caterpie!" Chase praised his friend.

Caterpie, still a little frazzled, watched as its opponent recovered. Victreebel looked upon Caterpie with eyes like daggers that seemed to pierce right through the small bug's heart.

Knowing that if it were to stay alive, Caterpie had to unleash the power it had been holding back. Caterpie began to glow with a brilliant light. It grew slightly bigger and took on a harder and more metallic-looking physique. Once the light faded, it had a darker green coloring to its skin.

"Well, lookie there!" said Jason from the stands. "Caterpie evolved into a Metapod!" He waved his cowboy hat in congratulations.

"Wow, that's awesome, Metapod!" Chase exclaimed. "Now, let's show 'em what you can do! Use Tackle!"

Metapod took a deep breath and closed its eyes, mentally preparing itself to give Victreebel a tackling it wouldn't soon forget. In one swift motion, it began to move and…fell on its side.

"Uh oh," Chase murmured.

Metapod struggled to get back up, but with no arms or legs, it was rendered helpless.

"Victreebel," Erika started, "use Razor Leaf!"

Her Grass-type shot green projectiles as sharp as knives at Metapod. The Cocoon Pokémon was hit, and everyone heard a loud clanging noise made by the Razor Leaves hitting Metapod's hard outer shell. It looked as if Chase's newly evolved Pokémon had received no damage from the attack. This was due to its major increase in Defense.

"That didn't work," Erika muttered. "Okay, Victreebel, use Vine Whip and grab Metapod!"

The Gym Leader's Pokémon inched toward Metapod and plucked it off the ground with its vine. It held Metapod up above its head; the cocoon Pokémon, dreading the worst, said a little prayer to itself before it was eaten.

Victreebel slammed its opponent against the ground, knocking it out. If it were conscious, Metapod would be glad it wasn't on that Pokémon's menu.

Chase reluctantly recalled his Bug-type to its Poké Ball, thanking it for doing its best. He grabbed Charmeleon's ball and tossed it in the air. Soon after, the Fire-type took form and shot a Flamethrower upwards.

"All right Charmeleon, use Flamethrower on Victreebel!"

Charmeleon launched a stream of fire straight at the carnivorous plant. Since it was so slow, Victreebel was completely engulfed by the flames and knocked out.

Erika returned Victreebel and thanked it like Chase had done for his Metapod earlier. She then released her next Pokémon, a Vileploom with a large red flower on its head.

Chase received the first turn again, so he called out, "Use Scary Face!" Charmeleon made a menacing face. This scared Erika's Vileploom into cowering, and it closed its eyes. "Quick, use a Flamethrower!"

The Charmeleon launched its powerful Flamethrower at Vileploom. The Grass-type was unable to move due to the scare it had received, and did not see the incoming attack. Erika tried to warn it, but Vileploom was easily hit and knocked out, ending the battle decisively.

"Great job, Charmeleon!" Chase congratulated. After hugging his Pokémon, he returned it. Erika approached him, grasping a rainbow-colored badge in her hand.

"That was wonderful, Chase," she said. "I want you to have this. It's the Rainbow Badge."

"Thank you!" He picked it up and pinned it inside his jacket along with the rest of his Badges.

"I hope you do well in the Pokémon League," said Erika. "I know you'll get there someday with as much talent as you have."

"Thank you, but it isn't just me. It's my Pokémon that do most of the work, I just train them." Chase said goodbye to the Gym Leader and rejoined his friends as they left the Gym.

Jeremy announced, "That was a great battle, Chase! I'm glad I stuck around to watch it, but it's time for me to go now."

"I guess we'll see you later," Chase replied.

"I hope so!" Jeremy said goodbye to everyone, then headed on his way.

Chase looked over the trees at the horizon to see that the sun was going down. Celadon was now cloaked in a hazy shade of twilight, so he, along with Silver, Jason, and Bill went to the Pokémon Center to stay the night.

****************


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Early the next day, the two Chasers, military soldier, and computer expert woke up and had breakfast together. Chase was still ecstatic about his win the day before, and how his Caterpie had finally evolved. Silver and Bill got into a conversation about designing computers, and Jason polished his Poké Balls while wearing his new cowboy hat. He claimed a clean Poké Ball made for a happy Pokémon.

Around ten-thirty in the morning, after everyone was all packed up, the Trainers were about to set a course for their next destination. While Chase, Silver, and Jason were huddled around a map, Bill moseyed over to the bulletin board where the Pokémon Center's staff posted news and fliers containing information on upcoming events.

One particular flier caught Bill's attention. It read at the top in big, bold letters, "Computer expo today and tomorrow at the Celadon Computer Center!" Down below, it read, "Come and view some of the new breakthroughs in computer technology!"

Turning to face his friends, Bill contemplated what to do. The computer enthusiast made his way over to Chase, Jason, and Silver—who were still mulling over the map—and said, "Hey, guys?" Their three heads popped up and fixed their gazes on him. "Um, I was wondering if it would be all right if I hung back in Celadon. You can go ahead with your journey—after all, I still haven't challenged Erika, and there's supposed to be this big exposé at the Computer Center that I'd like to go to."

Chase looked down and thought for a second, then looked back up and said, "Okay, Bill. That's fine."

"Yeah," Jason added. "Go ahead. That's all right with us."

Bill replied with a smile, "Thanks, guys."

Chase decided on where he wanted to go next. According to him, the three Trainers would be going down Cycling Road to Fuchsia City. Surely the Gym Leader there would accept a challenge to battle now.

When they were ready to depart, the trio gave Bill a heartfelt goodbye, and they went their separate ways: Bill headed to the Computer Center, and Chase and company went out to Cycling Road to the west of Celadon.

By the time they made their way to the gate, it was about noon. The sun shone brightly and there were absolutely no clouds in the deep blue sky.

Inside the guardhouse was a large collection of bikes that were rented to people. The friendly man at the counter explained that if Chase and his friends were taking a ride, they'd need to return their bikes to the guardhouse at the bottom of the bridge near Fuchsia. So they agreed and paid a minimal fee to rent three bikes. Soon, they were off and riding down the large expansion bridge.

After a while of coasting leisurely down the road, a burly-looking biker on a motorcycle puttered up beside Chase.

The gruff man wore a black leather jacket and tight-fitting jeans, despite his massive girth. His bike sputtered occasionally, and his bald head shone in the sun.

"Hey kid," the man said casually over the noise of his engine. "You look like a Pokémon Trainer. Wanna have a battle?"

Chase skidded to a stop on his bike, looked at the man and said, "I sure do!"

"Great!" the biker exclaimed happily. "Just by the by, my name's Percy, but all my friends call me Cue Ball."

"Nice to meet you! My name's Chase!"

"Okay then, Chase, let's spread out a ways and then we'll choose what Pokémon we'll use. How does a one-on-one battle sound to you?"

"Sounds good."

Once the two were far enough away from each other, and Jason and Silver had also moved out of the way, Percy released his Koffing; it coughed out poisonous gas as soon as it materialized on the field.

Chase mused over what Pokémon to use, then grabbed a Poké Ball and tossed it high in the air. The red and white sphere popped open and released Metapod.

"Okay, Metapod! Let's do this!" Chase shouted, trying to encourage his Cocoon Pokémon. Metapod fell on its side.

"Well, not the Pokémon I would've chosen," Percy mumbled, "but that's up to you. You get the first turn!"

"Thanks! Now, Metapod, use Tackle!" Despite the fact it had received a direct order from its Trainer, Metapod remained motionless on the ground. "Um, String Shot?" Chase's Bug-type shot a weak spray of gooey string out that didn't even reach halfway to Cue Ball's Koffing.

Reluctantly, Percy commanded his Poison-type Pokémon to use Smog. Koffing shot out a cloud of dark purple poison that floated slowly over to Metapod.

"Metapod, dodge! Jump! Run! Wiggle! Twist! Moonwalk! Do anything, just don't get hit!"

But Chase's pleas fell on deaf ears as the toxic cloud engulfed Metapod. When the poison faded away, the Bug-type had swirls in its eyes.

"Well…" Percy muttered, letting his sentence trail off as he scratched his hairless head. "…Good game!"

Chase smiled weakly and said, "Thanks, but that wasn't a very 'good' game if you ask me."

Percy got on his motorcycle and prepared to leave. But before he rode off, the biker said, "Well, I hope you can train that Metapod of yours into a Butterfree. I've heard a lot of good stuff about 'em. They learn Psychic-type moves that can really help out, especially when you fight the Fuchsia Gym Leader."

Chase thanked Percy, saying he would keep his advice in mind, and then watched as the motorcyclist rode off down the road. Chase's friends tried to console him on his loss, but he declared he was all right.

They were soon back on their bikes and coasting gently down Cycling Road. All three Trainers enjoyed the sea breeze that blew in from the ocean; Jason claimed it reminded him of his time in Canalave City in the Sinnoh Region. Chase explained the shoreline was very close to his hometown of Pallet, and went on to say he'd go to the beach a lot in the summer. It was only a short jaunt from his house, and his family would usually join him.

When they reached the next guardhouse, they deposited their rental bikes into the storeroom of the building upon the request of the man in charge there.

Next, they walked through the short expanse of road that was known as Route 18 and strolled into Fuchsia City. Chase directed the group towards a Pokémon Center, passing the Gym along the way.

After Chase's Metapod was healed, he asked Silver and Jason to wait in the lobby for him. He claimed he wanted to do something really quick before he set out to the Gym. Chase hurried outside. They waited only a few minutes before Chase came back in, saying, "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go!"

"What was that all about?" Jason asked wryly.

He replied, "Oh, just a little preparation for the Gym battle."

Chase stepped through the Gym doors and saw the same man at the counter from the last time he was there. He still wore sunglasses inside the building, despite it being dark.

The Trainer stepped up to the desk and asked if the Gym Leader was accepting challenges at the moment. The man didn't reply, and stayed leaned back in his chair with his head cocked. Chase prodded the man further, asking a bit more firmly.

"Huh? What?" he sputtered, sounding like he had just woken up. "Wuzzat?"

"I'm here to inquire about the Gym Leader. I would like to know if he or she is accepting challenges right now."

"Yeah," the man replied. "She's accepting. The Leader should be in the next room through that door behind me." He glanced down at his watch. "It's been a good thirty minutes since I fell asleep—I mean, since the Gym Leader started practicing. Go on in and see if she'll battle you."

"Okay, thank you!"

After all three had gone through the door, the man leaned back again, propped his legs up on the counter, and began to snore.

Inside the room where the battlefield was located, they saw the Gym Leader practicing with her Pokémon, Venomoth.

The Leader was tall, and she appeared to be around twenty years old. Her name was Janine; she had dark purple-colored hair that was tied up in a ponytail, and she wore a black shirt and pants. She also had a purple scarf and wristbands.

"Oh, hello!" Janine said in surprise. "What can I help you with?"

Chase replied, "I would like to have a Gym battle with you, please."

"That's fine. Just stand on one end of the battlefield and we'll get started. It'll be a three-on-three match, okay?"

"Got it!"

Chase hurried over to his side of the field while Janine returned her Venomoth and approached where she would stand. Jason and Silver sat on the bleachers near the sidelines and watched.

Janine sent her Pokémon out first. It was a Weezing, a round and purple-colored Poison-type. Chase released his Haunter, who made a funny face in an attempt to scare its foe.

"All right, Trainer, what's your name?" Janine called across the room.

"It's Chase!" he answered back.

"Okay, Chase, you get the first turn!"

He told his Haunter to use Hypnosis. It disappeared and then reappeared in front of Janine's Pokémon, putting it to sleep. Next, Haunter used Lick, but it appeared to do nothing as Weezing snored loudly.

Haunter backed away and turned to Chase. Its Trainer shrugged and told it to use a Shadow Ball. The Ghost-type sent a ball of dark energy sailing forward. As Weezing was hit, it woke up and floated back into the air after suffering some of the attack's blowback.

"Weezing," Janine shouted, "use Sludge Bomb!"

The Poison Gas Pokémon shot a ball of purple-colored goop at Haunter, who moved out of the way of the attack in a humorous fashion. Janine ordered her Pokémon to continue using the attack, and so Haunter began to fly around the room crazily without being ordered to do so.

Chase shouted, "Whoa, Haunter, stop it!" It halted and shot an innocent look back at the boy. "Quit goofing around and use a Lick attack!"

Haunter's face lit up, and it swiftly moved in front of Weezing and made a scary face. The Poison-type flinched, which gave Haunter the opportunity to lick it with its enormous tongue again.

The round, purple-colored Pokémon shivered and fell to the ground, knocked out by a strange tingling sensation.

"Good job!" said Janine. "But you won't have such an easy time with my next choice!"

She sent out her Venomoth. It fluttered in the air with its light purple wings shimmering in the light flowing inside through the windows.

"Weren't you just training with that Venomoth? Isn't it tired?"

"Don't be concerned; what you saw was just a warm-up. Now, do you want to attack or not?"

"Oh," Chase smiled nervously. "Haunter, use Shadow Ball!"

The Ghost-, Poison-type launched its dark ball of shadows at Venomoth. But an instant later, it had flown behind Haunter.

"Venomoth, use Psybeam!" The Bug-, Poison-type Pokémon shot a beam of psychic energy at Haunter's back. The Gas Pokémon fell to the ground, unconscious.

"No! Haunter!" Chase cried out.

"Move in for the kill with blinding speed! That's how a ninja gets it done!" Janine shouted.

Chase returned his Pokémon and grabbed another one of his red and white spheres. It released Charmeleon, who, like always, shot a Flamethrower into the air.

"Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!"

Charmeleon cracked a wry smile before it unleashed its powerful Fire-type attack. Janine told her Venomoth to dodge, which it did splendidly. The Poison-type flew high above the Flamethrower and did a nosedive, hurtling towards the ground.

Just as it was about to collide with the floor, Venomoth spread its wings and changed its direction. It tackled Charmeleon head-on and knocked it over. Venomoth innocently fluttered back over to its Trainer.

"Charmeleon, are you okay?" Chase asked worriedly.

The Fire-type lizard pushed itself off the ground and gave its Trainer a nod, then turned back around.

"Okay, then, let's try a Scary Face!"

Charmeleon made a startling face at Venomoth, who intern just floated there with its emotionless expression and big, vacant, purple eyes.

"Well, that didn't work," Chase muttered. "Charmeleon, use Dragon Rage!"

A ball of purple-colored energy was shot at Venomoth. The Poison Moth Pokémon tried to dodge, but as it moved out of the way, one of its wings were hit. It fell to the ground, unable to fly with this injury.

Chase, thinking quickly, commanded, "Use Metal Claw!"

Charmeleon's claws on both of its hands began to glow. It dashed forward, quickly gaining ground on the fallen opponent. But, as Charmeleon tried to swing its right hand at Janine's Pokémon, Venomoth jumped backwards and out of the way. Charmeleon thrust its left hand down, but again, it jumped out of the way.

Charmeleon's claws were now embedded in the ground, and it was having a hard time of pulling itself free. Janine called to her Pokémon and told it to use Poison Powder. With its one good wing, Venomoth scattered a plume of poisonous particles on Charmeleon.

"Use Flamethrower!" Chase exclaimed quickly.

His Pokémon shot its attack straight towards Venomoth. It was engulfed by the flames, and fell on its back, knocked out.

Charmeleon unhitched itself from the ground as Janine returned her Venomoth to its Poké Ball. It then stiffened as the pain from the poisoning took affect.

Chase called across the room to Charmeleon, asking, "Are you all right? Can you go on?" Charmeleon turned and nodded, putting on a determined grin to hide its pain. "Okay, I'll keep you in for now."

"All right, time to break out the big guns!" Janine declared as she threw another Poké Ball into the air. What materialized was a huge, bulking, purple-colored Pokémon.

Whoa! What is that thing?" Chase pulled out his Pokédex and flipped it open. Immediately, the little red device relayed its information.

"DRAPION," the computer started, "THE OGRE SCORP POKéMON. IT HAS THE POWER IN ITS CLAWED ARMS TO MAKE SCRAP OF A CAR. THE TIPS OF ITS CLAWS RELEASE POISON."

"It's certainly not something you'd see around Kanto," said Janine.

"I'll say," Chase replied as he stared at the gargantuan figure.

"I caught it when my father and I went to the Sinnoh Region for our vacation. It was just a little Scorupi when I caught it in Pastoria's Great Marsh, but I couldn't help but train it as much as possible."

"It's not so little anymore." Chase commanded Charmeleon to use Flamethrower.

The Flame Pokémon again shot a stream of fire out of its mouth. Drapion just stood where it had materialized and took the attack like it was nothing.

"Drapion, use X-Scissor!" Janine called.

The Ogre Scorp Pokémon crossed its arms to make an "X" shape, and approached Charmeleon menacingly. Charmeleon was able to jump out of the way and hit Drapion with another Flamethrower, but then Janine's giant Poison-type used a Pin Missile attack that seemed to come out of nowhere. The Fire-type did its best to not get hit by the flying spikes, but it did take some damage.

"Another Flamethrower, quick!"

Charmeleon, now up against a wall, began to call forth the immense flames from within, but Drapion thrust its claws forward and pinned the Flame Pokémon against the wall. Drapion's claws were embedded in the concrete, much like Charmeleon's claws had been stuck in the ground earlier, trapping the Fire-type.

Charmeleon's flames in its mouth puttered out. Drapion tightened its grip and threw its foe across the room, making it roll on the ground and into another wall. Due to this large quantity of damage, along with the poisoning Janine's Venomoth so generously gave to it, Charmeleon fainted.

As Chase returned his fallen friend, Silver and Jason were speculating what would happen next from high atop the metal bleachers.

"That Drapion sure is strong," said Silver.

Jason replied, "I agree. Janine did a good job training it."

"I wonder who Chase will send out next?"

"I'd go with Politoed, seeing as it would hold up against that Drapion the longest."

Chase tossed out his third and final Poké Ball. It popped open and sent a stream of white light hurtling to the ground. A figure began to materialize. It was green and looked ready to battle. It was the Pokémon that would hopefully earn Chase another Gym Badge… Metapod.

"Metapod?!" Silver exclaimed, dumbfounded. "Does he want to lose?"

"Now, hold on a second." Jason calmed his friend. "Let's see what Chase is cooking up."

"Metapod, use Harden!" Chase called. Metapod's hard shell flashed for a moment, hardening and increasing its Defense stat greatly.

"Drapion," called Janine, "use Poison Sting!" Drapion shot a bunch of purple-colored needles seeping with poison at Metapod, but they all just ricocheted off its shell.

"Harden!" Chase called again. Metapod's shell flashed once more, again escalating its Defense.

"X-Scissor!" Janine called out in annoyance.

Drapion approached the immobile Metapod and hit it with its crossed arms, making the Bug-type hurtle backwards into a wall and cracking the cement. But Metapod seemed unharmed.

Chase called, "Harden again!" Metapod's shell flashed, and it hardened even more.

"What is he doing?" Jason thought to himself. He pondered about it for a moment as he watched Metapod being flung all over the battlefield, but then he realized something. "I know what he's doing!" he said out loud.

"What's he doing?" Silver asked curiously.

"You remember when Chase asked for us to wait in the lobby so he could head outside for a bit?" Silver nodded. "I bet he had a little pep talk with Metapod about evolving! You see, when a Metapod takes damage, they build up energy which is needed to evolve!"

Just then, Drapion hit Metapod again, sending it sprawling through the air. It eventually came to a stop where it began glowing. It grew wings and its hard shell seemed to smooth out as antennae and feet formed. As the light faded, the evolved Pokémon stretched its new wings, and a moment later, fluttered into the air and exclaimed, "Butterfree!"

"All right!" Chase exclaimed. "Use Confusion, Butterfree!"

The Butterfly Pokémon's eyes began to glow a light blue, and Drapion was covered in a similar-colored veil, but nothing seemed to happen.

"Chase!" Jason called from the stands. "Psychic-type attacks won't work on Drapion, it's half Dark-type!"

"Then we'll have to try something else," the boy announced. Drapion tried to attack with another Poison Sting, but Butterfree dodged it gracefully. "Okay, try to use Sleep Powder!"

Butterfree flew high above Drapion and started scattering green spores around that made Drapion very drowsy. It fell asleep and snored loudly.

"No, Drapion!" Janine called out anxiously.

"We have 'em now! Use Tackle!"

The butterfly began attacking the sleeping Ogre Scorp Pokémon with continuous Tackle attacks. All the while Janine was calling to her friend, trying to awaken it. When Drapion finally did awaken, it stood up only to be met with a full-body tackle right in the face. It toppled over backwards with swirls in its eyes, unconscious.

Uncontainable excitement coursed through Chase as he exclaimed, "Yes! Butterfree, you did it!"

The Bug-, Flying-type fluttered around in the air playfully, letting out a joyous "Free! Free!"

Janine graciously returned her fallen Poison Pokémon as Jason and Silver cheered happily from the stands, with the former waving his cowboy hat in celebration. The Gym Leader walked up to Chase and handed him a pink, heart-shaped Badge from her pocket.

"Here, you deserve this," she said kindly. "It's the Soul Badge."

Chase smiled and replied politely, "Thank you." He placed his new Gym Badge in his jacket, making a fine addition to his collection. Jason and Silver joined him, and they all thanked Janine for the wonderful battle and said goodbye.

On the way out of the Gym, the three friends could see the man at the counter sleeping. They all chuckled to themselves and left for the Pokémon Center. When they got there, Chase had his team healed, and they all went outside.

It was then as Chase was having fun with his Butterfree that Silver got a call on his PokéGear. He stepped away from the others and answered it.

"Silver?" a familiar voice came over the speaker. "It's been a while. How goes that mission of yours?"

"Uh, good, it's going good," the redhead stammered.

"Listen. We need you back here at the base."

"Y-yes. I'll head back right away."

"No, I'll send a helicopter to pick you up within an hour. Just tell me where you are."

"Um…" Silver trailed off, looking back at his friends. Butterfree had perched itself up on Chase's head, lying on its belly. "I'm in Fuchsia City, Dad," he said with regret in his voice.

"Good. I'm already having a helicopter pick up Professor Nelson from the Lavender base. I'll have it fly over to get you."

"Tell them I will be waiting on Route 18, southeast of the guardhouse."

"Fine." Giovanni hung up. Silver, disheartened, stuck his phone back in his pocket.

"Say, who was that?" Chase asked with Butterfree still on his head.

"Well, that was my dad. He said he wanted me to come home."

"Oh…"

"Then we'll be seeing you?" said Jason.

"Yeah. I'll make arrangements to meet up with you guys later. We still have a certain clone to deal with."

"That's right!" Jason replied. "You just remember not to get too involved with Team Rocket anymore. They're bad news."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Silver replied with a nervous smile.

They all shook hands and said goodbye, then Chase and Jason watched as their friend left.

"You know, maybe I should call my parents and tell them how I'm doing," Chase thought out loud.

Jason nodded. "That's a good idea."

****************


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

It had been a little more than forty minutes before Silver could see a Team Rocket helicopter on the horizon, coming from the northeast. It touched down in a wide-open grassy area. Out stepped the renowned Rocket scientist, Anthony Nelson, who was wearing his usual getup: a white lab coat that hung down to his feet, barely making his brown pants visible from underneath. His light purple-colored hair seemed to highlight his rectangular-rimmed glasses that rested on his large nose, which jutted out a few inches from his face.

Silver spotted the short scientist from afar and came walking up to him. He greeted Nelson with kindness in his voice; all contempt from many weeks ago had completely vanished.

"Hi there, Nelson!" Silver said.

"Hello, Silver," responded the scientist.

Silver was about to continue, but he stopped himself when he saw a familiar figure step out of the helicopter after Anthony. It was the scientist's grandson, Art Nelson, the executive who showed such disdain for Silver a little more than half a week ago.

Even though the time had been short since he left, Silver had felt like Team Rocket and all the stress he experienced there was a thing of the past when he was with Chase and Jason.

Art wore his purple suit with the big red "R" sown onto his breast pocket, and he had a darker shade of purple in his hair than Anthony did, due to the fact that he was younger. He stood with one foot in the helicopter's door and looked at his grandfather with an expression that said, "Why are you being so nice to him?"

"Hey, Art!" Silver exclaimed, trying to strike up a conversation.

Art just stared crossly at Silver, then said to Anthony, "Grandfather, hurry. We must get back to headquarters as fast as we can."

"You're right," Nelson replied softly. "Come on, Silver. It's time to get you home."

With that, the short, purple-haired man stepped into the helicopter as Art moved aside to let his grandfather through. When Silver attempted to enter, the young Nelson threw himself in front and shot a glance of contempt over his shoulder, much like the look Anthony gave the redhead back when they were fighting. Art followed his elder, turning a cold shoulder to Silver as he climbed into the aircraft. The only thing Silver could do was shrug and think to himself, "Just when you think you've made amends with one Nelson, another ends up disliking you."

The helicopter took off and was on its way back to headquarters. In a short while, they could see the open hanger door, and Silver felt it had been much longer than a few days since he had last been here. He couldn't help but feel that Jason was right in saying he should stay out of Team Rocket's affairs. "But, what about Dad?" Silver thought as he reflected on his friend's words. He couldn't just abandon Giovanni after how long it took to find him.

Silver was still deep in thought and was staring at the floor when the helicopter touched down. He was oblivious to Anthony walking out of the aircraft, but snapped back into reality when he noticed Art glaring at him from just outside the helicopter's door. The young Trainer said nothing and stood up to leave, but when everyone else had walked away, the Executive got right up in Silver's face and said, "Now, you listen and you listen good. Stay away from my grandfather."

Silver jerked away and replied, "Hey, what's your problem? I haven't done anything!"

"Oh, don't act so innocent with me," Art said sternly. "We both know what kind of delinquent you are."

"What?"

"You humiliated my grandfather in front of everyone and act as if it were nothing!"

"But, I…" Silver's memory was jogged, and he remembered the first time he encountered Anthony in the Mt. Silver base. Silver felt bad for acting the way he did, but he and Nelson had since resolved their issues with each other. "Hey, look. I've talked to your grandfather about it and we've come to an understanding," Silver explained.

Art backed off, but the contempt in his eyes remained as he turned to walk away. Silver took a deep breath, then made his way out of the hanger and into the main hallway.

Just down the hall stood Giovanni with Anthony and a few other Rocket scientists. The boss's face lit up when he saw his son coming.

"Ah, Silver. Come, I'd like to show you something."

The group walked to another hanger. There rested a brand new airship, fitted with high-tech mechanisms.

"Silver," Nelson started, "let me introduce to you my finest work! It's an airship capable of hauling thousands of pounds of cargo! It has a state-of-the-art navigation device, and it has been fully tested!"

Giovanni turned to Silver. "How about we take it for a demonstration flight?"

Back in Fuchsia City, Chase and Jason were sitting outside on the grass, watching Chase's Pokémon play around with Jason's Houndoom and Ampharos.

Charmeleon and Haunter were chasing Houndoom around in a game of tag, and Politoed played patty-cake with Ampharos while Butterfree and Pidgeotto flew around them.

"Well," Jason said as he turned towards Chase, "I never could have guessed that any of this would happen to me."

"Yeah?" Chase responded. "What do you mean?"

"Like, meeting up with you to combat Team Rocket, then meeting Silver and agreeing to help defeat his crazed psychic clone, all the while, you and Silver were chosen by your Power Stones. You know, that kind of stuff."

"Hey, I wouldn't have ever dreamed any of this stuff would happen, either." With that, Chase laid back and looked up at the clear, blue sky. Jason smiled and resumed watching their Pokémon scamper about.

He thought quietly for a bit, and then said, "Say, where do you think you want to go next?"

The younger Trainer sat up and crossed his arms in thought. "You know, I haven't really decided yet."

"There's a cruise that leaves from here and heads to Cinnabar Island this afternoon. Do you want to try and board it?"

"That's a great idea! I could challenge the Gym there. Let's round up the Pokémon and get over to the docks!"

They returned all of their Pokémon and hurried down to the Fuchsia docks, which were south of the Pokémon Center. The boat was just about to shove off when they arrived, but the two friends were able to buy tickets and climb aboard.

As they got on, they noticed that many Trainers had gathered on the large deck, with all of their Pokémon out playing around or resting.

Chase read the little pamphlet of information he grabbed from the ticket booth. It stated the cruise would take a total of two days to reach Cinnabar Island.

Jason was the first to take advantage of the opportunity and immediately changed out of his dingy military-oriented clothing, and into a hot-pink shirt with white tropical flower designs on them, blue shorts, and his cowboy hat. The two of them let their teams out again to let them enjoy the cruise. Except, Jason couldn't let some of his Pokémon out; they were much too big to be allowed on the deck by the crew, and so he only released Houndoom and Ampharos, along with a Feraligatr of his. The Pokémon he could not send out were Salamence, Torterra, and his Metagross.

There was a small pool on the deck that Politoed immediately jumped into. As it was submerged, it caught Feraligatr's curiosity. The Big Jaw Pokémon slowly approached the pool's edge and bent over to look into the water. Politoed popped up and playfully squirted Feraligatr in the face with a Water Gun. Infuriated, it opened its humongous jaws and attempted to bite.

"Feraligatr!" Jason exclaimed sternly. "Don't you dare eat Chase's Pokémon!"

Feraligatr, with its eyes fixed on Jason, reeled back and closed its mouth. The Frog Pokémon heaved a sigh of relief. Feraligatr extended a hand of friendship, hoping to apologize for almost making Politoed its lunch. It reluctantly shook hands, accepting the apology.

The two Water-types became good friends after that, and they hung out in the pool together most of the time.

Later, the group was still out on the deck. Chase and Jason had both fallen asleep in the white-colored lounge chairs they were sitting in, and the Pokémon continued to play. Other Trainers would occasionally go up there, but most of them were below deck in the food court.

But then, the drone of engines could be heard. All the Pokémon looked up to see a colossal aircraft emerging from the cover of a cloud.

Charmeleon gingerly approached Chase and poked him in the shoulder. Once he had opened his eyes, Chase saw it and jumped out of his chair to wake Jason.

People started to pour onto the deck and crowded around the railings to watch as the airship inched closer to a group of islands that were up ahead.

"Those are the Seafoam Islands," Jason muttered.

The giant flying structure continued forward, and when it was close enough, strange, cylinder-like objects protruded from its hull. Suddenly, it shot a bomb down at the islands that exploded upon impact.

"What is it doing?" Chase cried.

Jason replied, "Whatever it is, it isn't good."

The airship continued to shower the islands with blasts from its cannons without any sign of letting up.

Inside the airship, Giovanni was seated behind the pilot and copilot, giving orders on what to do next. The cockpit that they were in was bigger than normal, with large glass windows at the front that stretched around to the sides.

Silver stood next to Giovanni's elevated chair, and listened to his father going off on a tangent. He had been talking about his airship's capabilities for quite awhile.

"Yes, it is only a matter of time," said Giovanni.

"Until what?" Silver asked.

"Until I obtain one of the missing components of my plan."

Back on the boat, Chase and Jason had to return their Pokémon to avoid losing them in the crowd. It was starting to get out of hand.

More and more bombs were shot, causing major damage. They blew a hole in the rock wall of one of the islands to reveal a hollow cavern. Chase and Jason could only watch in dismay as the rocks crumbled all around.

A Rocket operator exclaimed, "Sir!"

"What is it?" Giovanni asked.

"We've picked up sounds from deep within the islands' caverns! We've also picked up something on the radar. And it's moving fast!"

Suddenly, a blur of blue color emerged from the hole that was made earlier. Everyone on the boat gasped in astonishment at seeing the legendary Pokémon Articuno appear.

"Yes!" Giovanni exclaimed. "Dispatch a team to weaken that Articuno!"

Four Rockets opened a large sliding door on the side of the airship. They released two Arcanine, a Flareon, and a Ninetails, and ordered them to use Flamethrower.

The Ice-, Flying-type was caught off guard and was hit, weakening it greatly. But, the legendary bird refused to give up, and shot an Ice Beam at its assailants. The Rockets and their Pokémon leaped out of the way just in time, but now, one of the inside walls of the aircraft had a patch of ice on it. Their Pokémon resumed attacking.

From the cruise liner, Chase and Jason couldn't believe their eyes. Some passengers were upset, while others speculated worriedly about what was going on.

"We've got to help!" Chase said to his friend.

"I know, but I'm just not sure how…"

Articuno was hit hard with all four Flamethrowers, and it fluttered weakly high above the ocean waves.

A Rocket aimed the capture device at the Articuno from a turret on the side of the airship, looking through a scope and readying himself for the shot.

"I've got it!" Jason exclaimed. He released Salamence and hopped on its back, then began flying up to the hurt Articuno in an attempt to help. But before he could get there, the Rocket's weapon was shot, and Articuno was caught in some sort of net. The legendary Pokémon went limp, knowing that struggling would only tire it out even more. A powerful rope and pulley system reeled the captured Pokémon into the ship's hull.

Jason commanded Salamence to use a Flamethrower to try and burn the rope, but a Rocket intercepted the attack with his Pidgeot that knew Protect. It was too late, and Team Rocket had captured their target. The airship began to fly off towards the northeast, but Silver ran up to the front window and gazed out at the figure riding on the Salamence.

"Jason?" he murmured as the ship turned.

Jason landed on the deck and returned his Salamence to its Poké Ball, and apologized to Chase that there was nothing he could do.

"At least you tried," the boy sympathized.

"But I feel like I could have helped that Articuno," he replied ruefully.

The crowd dissipated as Team Rocket vanished behind some clouds, not to be seen again.

After a few minutes and when no one was around, Jason nudged Chase and said, "You know, at the sight of Team Rocket, I got to thinking about Silver."

"Yeah?"

"I just hope he hasn't gotten too mixed up with them. I mean, what would his father think if he knew Silver had joined Team Rocket, even if for a short time?"

"Well, if he were anything like my dad, he'd probably be furious. But, let's not get too concerned about it. I'm sure Silver will work everything out."

"I suppose you're right." The two smiled and went on to enjoy the rest of their cruise.

****************


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

It was around noon the next day, and Chase and Jason were just now arriving in Cinnabar Harbor. They disembarked from the ship onto the dock. Chase had kept his usual attire on; his blue jacket, light blue jeans, and a black shirt underneath the jacket. Jason had changed out of his tropical-looking clothes and had put his army-oriented ones back on, consisting of his cowboy hat, worn camouflage pants, thick black boots, and a gray sleeveless shirt that shaped itself to his muscular physique.

Chase's Pokémon were fully rested, so the first thing he did was look for the Cinnabar Gym. But what they found looked like the charred remains of a building. The windows were boarded up, and grass and weeds had grown high around the outside walls.

"What happened?" Chase asked in surprise.

"I don't know," replied Jason.

The two Trainers stood with their gazes fixed on the burnt Gym. All the while, a man scanned them through his round-rimmed sunglasses as he brushed his white mustache in intrigue. The white hat he wore to hide his bare head had a red stripe around it. He also had on a white shirt with red sleeves and brown pants.

He walked up behind Chase and Jason and said, "It's a shame, isn't it?"

"Whoa!" Chase and Jason chorused in surprise. The man laughed.

"Hey! I'm not that scary, am I?"

"No, you just surprised us," Chase replied.

"I take it you want to challenge the Gym?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, you're not going to be challenging that one anytime soon. It caught fire years ago." Chase looked discouraged. "Instead, you can go to the new one on the end of the block."

"What?" Jason shot a confused look at the man.

"Look, right down there." He pointed and said, "Just make a right and you're there."

"Oh, okay!" Chase exclaimed. "Thank you very much!"

They started down the block, but a few moments later, they noticed that the funny man in the hat was tailing them.

Jason stopped and approached him, saying, "Hey, are you following us?"

"Hardly," he replied. "I'm on my way back to my Gym."

"Your Gym?" asked Chase. "Then, you must be the Cinnabar Gym Leader!"

"The one and only! Blaine's the name—fire's my game. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, the pleasure's all ours," Jason insisted.

"So, how about we get to that battle you're wanting?"

The new building was on the corner, separated from all the other buildings by a nice lawn. Cinnabar's volcano loomed off in the distance, looking menacingly like it could erupt any minute, despite it being dormant.

Once inside, Chase saw that the Gym was just a large room with a battlefield in it. There were two statues of a Pokémon near the door. Standing by them was a man with brown hair who wore a purple shirt and navy blue-colored pants. He had the exact same style of sunglasses as Blaine.

"Oh, hey! A challenger!" the man exclaimed. "One of the first to actually get to battle in the new Gym! It's much better than that cave we were using!"

"I concur!" Blaine exclaimed. "Okay, Trainer. What is your name?"

He answered, "Chase."

"Okay! Now, let's get to it!"

Blaine and his challenger took their positions on the field, Jason walked to the sidelines to sit on the small bleachers, and the man wearing sunglasses would act as the referee.

Chase was just about to throw a Poké Ball when Blaine shouted, "Wait!" He removed his hat, revealing his hairless head that glistened in the light. Blaine tossed it as if it were a Frisbee to the other side of the field, where it landed on the head of one of the statues. "First, it's time for a pop quiz!"

"Uh oh, here we go," Jason muttered.

"What level does Horsea evolve into Seadra?" asked Blaine.

"Uh, level twenty-eight?" Chase answered nervously. The referee made a buzzer noise, signifying the answer was incorrect.

"Where did the popular bike store in Cerulean City move to?"

"Um, Viridian City?"

The referee buzzed again.

"If the Magnet Train leaves Saffron City at two o'clock in the afternoon, and has to arrive in Goldenrod City in the same length of time as a cutscene in a popular video game, how fast does it have to go?"

"Uh…"

"Time's up," Blaine said quickly. "What does Poliwag evolve into?"

"Poliwhirl!" Chase answered confidently.

"Correct! We shall now commence with the battle!"

Blaine released his Rapidash. From out of Chase's Poké Ball came a bouncing, happy-go-lucky Politoed.

"Ah, starting out with a Water-type, huh?"

"Yep! Politoed, use Water Gun!" It obeyed and prepared itself to attack. But, something different happened. Instead of gathering water into its mouth, it began making a ball of water in its hands. Politoed reeled back both of its arms and thrust forward, sending the ball pulsing towards Rapidash. The Fire-type was struck by the super effective attack, and sadly for Blaine, it was knocked out.

Chase blinked in amazement. What could that move have been? Politoed hadn't used it before. The Frog Pokémon turned and looked happily back at its Trainer. After some thought, Chase asked, "Was that a Water Pulse?"

"Sure looked like it," Blaine commented as he picked another Poké Ball off of his belt. "I better not go easy on you."

Blaine released his next Pokémon. When it took form, the room was filled with an unbearable heat. Even Politoed felt the warmth coming off of its opponent.

"Magmar," the Fire-type said slowly as it stretched its muscles.

"Politoed, use Water Pulse again!"

It repeated what it had done before, and the attack hurtled toward Blaine's Pokémon. It looked as if it were going to hit, but Blaine called out, "Flamethrower!" Magmar shot a stream of incredibly hot flames out of its mouth. The attack easily evaporated all of the water in Politoed's Water Pulse, leaving the Spitfire Pokémon unharmed. "Now, use ThunderPunch!"

Magmar ran up to the Water-type with its fist crackling with electricity, giving its opponent no time to dodge. The super effective hit left Politoed sprawled out on the ground, unconscious.

Chase returned Politoed, thanked it, and thought over whom to send out next. Haunter would probably suffer the same fate as Politoed, and he didn't want to risk sending out Charmeleon just yet. So, the only choice left was Pidgeotto, despite the fact that Magmar's ThunderPunch was super effective against it, as well. With a toss, Pidgeotto appeared from its Poké Ball.

"Your move, Chase!"

"Thanks! Okay, Pidgeotto! Use Wing Attack!" The bird's wings glowed a bright white, and it flew towards Magmar.

"ThunderPunch!" Blaine commanded.

"Stop and use Gust!" Pidgeotto halted and started flapping its wings rapidly. Magmar was buffeted by the strong wind, making it impossible for it to move forward. The ThunderPunch on its right hand slowly dwindled, and the sound of crackling faded with it. "Now, change to your Twister attack!"

The Normal-, Flying-type made a twister. Magmar was still suffering from the intense blowback of Gust, and was not prepared. The Spitfire Pokémon was engulfed in the even greater winds and could not find a way out. It was lifted off its feet inside the tornado and spun around.

"That was great!" Chase cheered. "Use Quick Attack and fly behind Magmar!" Pidgeotto nodded and prepared itself.

The winds around Magmar let up, and so Chase's Pokémon executed Quick Attack. While the Fire-type was still incapacitated, the Bird Pokémon rammed Magmar in its back, knocking it to the ground.

"Flamethrower!" Blaine called desperately.

The Fire-type flipped over and shot at its foe. Unable to dodge, the flames completely engulfed Pidgeotto, and it slowly floated to the ground.

To everyone's surprise, a light started to shine forth through the fire, and the bird grew much larger. After a few seconds of waiting and Jason humming the evolution theme from the Pokémon video games, the flames were blown out by a huge gust of wind from the newly evolved Pidgeot.

"Yes!" Chase exclaimed. "All right, Pidgeot! Use Gust!"

It started to flap its enormous wings and created a gale that was much more powerful than before. Magmar was blown back as it tried to face the wind head-on.

"Quick Attack!" It flew straight into Blaine's Pokémon, knocking it to the ground, and then the bird flew back around to its side of the field. "Use another one!"

"ThunderPunch!" Blaine ordered coolly.

Pidgeot turned around and headed back towards Magmar, only to be met with a ThunderPunch right in the stomach. The Bird Pokémon let out a weak chirp before falling to the ground, unconscious.

Chase returned his new Pidgeot to its Poké Ball, telling it how great it did.

Charmeleon took form on the battlefield shortly after. It was about to blow a Flamethrower in the air like always, but was caught off guard by Magmar. Something in the way it looked set a fire ablaze inside Charmeleon. The same went for Magmar. The two stared at each other while their Trainers looked on in confusion.

"Uh… Charmeleon? Use a Metal Claw, please!"

The Flame Pokémon snapped to attention and bounded up to its opponent. Magmar bent down and dodged, then hit Charmeleon right in the stomach with a ThunderPunch.

Charmeleon looked at it with disdain, and then whipped Magmar with its tail. The enemy simply caught it in its hand.

"Use Flamethrower!" instructed Chase.

An inferno was shot at Magmar, completely smothering it. However, the attack did little damage. Blaine commanded his partner to throw Charmeleon to the floor.

Chase's Pokémon skidded across the ground and came to rest on its back. Magmar suddenly jumped on top of it and grabbed Charmeleon's neck, pinning it to the ground. Charmeleon snarled as it stared into Magmar's eyes, them filled with determination to win.

The Flame Pokémon knew that the only way for Chase to obtain his seventh Gym Badge was for it to win this match. It remembered all the times Chase had helped it out, like when it was trying to learn a new move, or even something as small as comforting it when it was scared as a Charmander. The Fire-type realized what it had to do.

Charmeleon began to glow; the evolving Pokémon grew larger and larger, and eventually, it held Magmar in its hands, the Spitfire Pokémon's feet dangling above the ground. It grew wings, a longer neck, and another spike on the back of its head. Charmeleon had evolved into a Charizard!

With its newfound strength, Charizard lobbed Magmar into the air. Blaine watched in horror as Chase's Pokémon spun around and whacked the falling Fire-type with its powerful tail. Magmar skidded across the floor and came to rest on its side. It stood up, looking at the opponent mockingly. Charizard's tail began to change color to light blue.

Confused, Chase turned to good old Dexter. He switched on his Pokédex and pointed it at Charizard, it saying, "CHARIZARD, THE FLAME POKéMON. IF CHARIZARD BECOMES FURIOUS, THE FLAME AT THE TIP OF ITS TAIL FLARES UP IN A LIGHT BLUE SHADE." Next, Charizard's flame suddenly erupted and grew extraordinarily larger. "That must be Blaze kicking in," Chase thought out loud. "Okay, Charizard! Use Flamethrower!"

It grinned confidently, letting loose a stream of blue fire upon Magmar. The attack was so powerful that it was able to knock Blaine's strongest Pokémon out. Charizard beamed with pleasure. Its flame changed back to its normal red and yellow coloring, but it remained enormous due to Blaze.

Blaine returned Magmar and took another Poké Ball from off his belt. He chucked it into the air and released his last Pokémon. An Arcanine took the field, its fur shimmering majestically.

"All right! One more to go!" Charizard turned to face its Trainer and pointed at its wings. "What's that? I don't understand."

It motioned in a way that seemed to say, "Okay, let me show you." Charizard started flying towards Arcanine with its wings glowing. The Flame Pokémon rammed right into Arcanine's side before it could evade.

"You learned Wing Attack! Awesome!"

"Pop quiz!" Blaine shouted. "Why does Charizard learn Wing Attack right after it evolves?"

"Because it becomes a part Flying-type and has wings!"

"Correct!"

"Charizard! I want you to use another Wing Attack!"

The Fire-, Flying-type rushed toward Arcanine once again with its wings glowing.

"Use Extreme Speed!" Blaine cried. The Legendary Pokémon vanished instantly. Charizard stopped and looked around, bewildered.

"Look out! Behind you!" Chase shouted desperately.

It turned just in time to see Arcanine bounding up towards it. The Flame Pokémon braced itself and caught the Arcanine in its arms. Charizard subdued it, pushing it to the floor. It let another Flamethrower fly; Arcanine wailed in pain, but was able to shake itself free.

"Extreme Speed again!" The Fire-type vanished and reappeared behind its opponent.

Charizard swung its tail, hitting Arcanine square in the head. The sheer power behind the hit was enough to knock Arcanine out cold.

As Blaine returned his fallen teammate, Chase ran out to give Charizard a hug. "Come here, you big lug!" he exclaimed as he threw his arms around his buddy. The Fire-type sighed happily in its deep new voice while it hugged back.

"Chase, I have to say, that was one of the best battles I've had in awhile. Here, I want you to have the Volcano Badge." Blaine took a red-colored pin from out of his pocket and handed it to the victor. It was in the shape of a red flame with a yellow center.

"Thank you," said Chase. He opened his jacket and pinned the Badge inside with his collection.

Blaine examined the Trainer as he stood with his Charizard. Something about them was very familiar. "You know, you remind me of someone I battled once."

"Interesting," Chase laughed. "I get that a lot."

"You all did a great job. I hope you and your Pokémon make it to the Pokémon League. And, by the way, your Charizard is amazing. Like I always say, nothing beats the Fire-type!"

Chase chuckled and thanked Blaine again. Jason rejoined him, and they left for the Pokémon Center. Once they were there, the team was healed, and he and Jason decided to take a breather.

It had been a couple of hours, and they had been talking about all sorts of different things.

"Say, Jason. Why do you think all the Gym Leaders in the video games are different from the ones in real life?"

"Well, maybe because the designers knew it would be too tedious to come out with new games every time a new Gym Leader took the place of the last. That way, they could just make their own fictional characters and story. The games are based off of the real world, nonetheless."

"Okay. And, how about the Pokémon anime?"

"That is actually based more on a real person's adventures, I think. Except, the fictional characters from the games are added. I think the main character is named 'Will Catchem.' I can't remember who exactly he's based off of, though."

"Interesting. Are you sure you can't remember who it is?"

"No… I can't remember. Oh well." There was silence for a minute, but then Jason said, "All right, I think I'm going to head out and shop for some supplies. Want to come with?"

"No, thank you. I've had my mind set on doing something that I just haven't been able to get around to lately."

"Okay, that's fine. I'll see you later, then."

Chase and Jason both headed out of the Pokémon Center and went in opposite directions. Jason went to the market while Chase walked off towards the park that rested near the base of Cinnabar's volcano. Woodland was scattered about the area, so it made a perfect spot to do some special training.

It was around eight o'clock at night, and the street lamps that lit the sidewalks were the only lights other than the full moon keeping the park illuminated.

Chase found a nice wooded area where no one would be able to see him. There was a wide clearing in the middle; the grass was short, and the ground was clean of any debris. After checking over his shoulder a second time, Chase began his training. He took out the Green Stone from his backpack and held it firmly in his left hand.

"Okay," he thought. "I pretty much know how to use Charizard's Flamethrower. Maybe I should practice using the others' moves and abilities."

Chase mentally shuffled through his different Pokémon's capabilities, looking for a good one to start out with. He decided on Haunter's Levitate ability.

He concentrated his powers and within his mind tried to bring forth an image of Haunter floating. Chase instead got a picture of Haunter making an irritating face. Discarding that thought, he tried using Haunter's Levitate through the same method as he did Charizard's Flamethrower.

The boy closed his eyes tight and felt the Green Stone's power course through his body. Soon, he had a strange sensation waft over him. Chase opened his eyes to see that he was levitating slightly off the ground. Excited, he rose higher and higher as he continued to focus.

Unfortunately, he raised himself a little too high and bonked his head on a tree branch. Chase fell back to earth and rubbed the top his head. He got back up and tried again and again until he was proficient at it.

Chase continued to train with his other Pokémon's moves and abilities, returning later that night to the Pokémon Center to meet up with Jason and go to bed.

****************


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

Chase and Jason got up around nine o'clock that morning. After eating a quick breakfast, they looked over a schedule for cruises leaving Cinnabar. Jason pointed out they could take one that would be leaving for Vermilion that day. It would last about a week, but since Pokémon accommodations would be supplied for training on the boat, Chase was all for it.

The duo went down to the docks and purchased their tickets. As they were stepping onto the ship, a man with a graying beard stood close by, welcoming all the passengers. It was the captain. He wore a navy blue suit with a red tie, along with a white hat perched atop his head.

"Hello!" the bearded man greeted Chase and Jason. "I'm the captain of this ship, and thank you for joining us on our voyage."

"You're welcome, Captain!" said Jason. "I'm sure you won't let us sink!" The plump man chuckled, as did the two Trainers, then they moved ahead to let the rest of the passengers on.

Meanwhile, over in Team Rocket's Mt. Silver base, Silver and Anthony Nelson were observing the now captive Articuno inside one of the gigantic aircraft hangers. The two of them watched silently as the legendary Pokémon thrashed about inside its steel cage.

Silver turned to Nelson and asked, "Why did my father want to capture Articuno? It's been in there for days now, and I don't see the reason for caging it up like this."

Nelson sighed. "Well…." He paused for a moment, then continued, "Your father is looking for a power source."

"A power source?"

"Yes. You see…his plan requires a massive supply of energy. And not just any kind of energy; energy so powerful, that it could only come from—"

"A legendary Pokémon," Silver broke in. "So that's why he had that enormous airship built; to catch legendary Pokémon."

"You are correct."

"So, what is this plan of his, anyway?" Nelson remained silent as he gazed up at Articuno.

Just then, Giovanni burst into the hanger. Rocket workers stared in surprise for a moment before resuming what they were doing. He quickly approached Anthony and said, "Professor, is my ship ready for takeoff?"

"Y-yes sir! But, why the rush?" Nelson sputtered.

"Another target has been sighted. I need to leave—now! Silver," he turned to face his son, "I need you to go with a group of infantrymen heading out to Olivine City in the Johto Region. They are going to rendezvous with the group that is currently stationed there at the Olivine base. I'd like you to make sure they don't get into any trouble."

With that, Giovanni stormed off toward his crowning achievement-of-an-airship, and had an entourage of frantic Rockets stumbling along with him. Silver turned towards Nelson with a look of irresoluteness on his face.

"You heard him! Get ready to take off for Olivine City!" the old man said happily. Silver nodded, and then went to locate the group he'd be helping.

It didn't take him long until he found the helicopter. The pilot who had been flying Silver from place-to-place was luckily the pilot of this trip, so he had no worries. And for a Team Rocket member, the man was rather kind. Perhaps he didn't know he was actually working for Team Rocket. But then again, that would be very hard to overlook when you're ferrying around strange, dopey men in black uniforms, so Silver dismissed the thought.

He had somehow been placed in the middle of about half of the Rockets on one bench, while the rest were facing them on the opposite side. The grunts were laughing hardily at each other's unintelligent jokes, and Silver felt as if he'd lose his mind. Fortunately, the torture wouldn't last long because the noise of the helicopter would drown out all their inane banter. They took off, and were on their way to the northwest.

The pilot took the aircraft down in a clearing in the otherwise dense woods just north of the city. There were many stumps scattered around, which indicated that this clearing was manmade. The Rocket Grunts shuffled out and ventured into the woods. Silver began to leave after them, but the pilot shouted over his shoulder to him: "I'll be waiting for you when you're ready to leave!"

"Okay! Thanks!"

Silver caught up with the other Rockets. It seemed that one had tripped over a large tree root and caused the rest of the troops to fall over like dominos. He looked upon them with pity as he failed to suppress a chuckle. The fallen grunts didn't hear him, so they got up and continued to the base that could now be seen through the trees.

After making sure they arrived without getting injured any further, Silver began to make his way back. About halfway to the helicopter, the thought of heading into town crossed his mind. He hadn't been to a town since he was with Chase and Jason, and decided it would be a good change of scenery. The pilot wouldn't mind waiting; he'd probably assume Silver was tending to business inside the base.

The Trainer turned toward where he thought was south and began trekking through the trees toward Olivine's city limits. It had been about ten minutes when Silver realized that he was dreadfully lost. He eventually came upon a clearing in the trees, one different from where the Team Rocket aircraft had landed. It was large and looked natural.

Silver noticed a Trainer working with a Honchkrow. The boy had shoulder-length purple hair, wore a blue jacket with black sleeves, and had dark gray pants. He looked to be always glaring.

Why would someone be this far out in the woods to train? He looked familiar. Silver remembered that he had passed by this young man back on Route 36.

He approached the Trainer from behind, who was working his Honchkrow too harshly. "Hello!" he greeted.

The boy whirled around in alarm, about ready to have his Pokémon attack. After seeing it was just another Trainer, he calmed down.

"What do you want?" the boy inquired bitterly.

"I just wanted to ask you for directions to Olivine, that's all."

"Humph. You're asking me for directions when the road leading into the city is just through those trees over there? I don't think you should be out here if you can't find your way into a city that's practically right in front of you," he remarked dryly.

"Hey, I can't help it if I didn't notice the road! I came from the other direction," Silver replied crossly.

"Sure," the boy answered sarcastically. "I think you should learn how to use a map. Now, leave me to my training."

"You want to go, tough guy? Let's battle. That'll be training enough for you!" Silver reached for his belt, plucked a Poké Ball off, and clenched it in his hand angrily.

"Sure, why not?" he retorted with a wry grin. The Trainer returned his Honchkrow and grabbed another Poké Ball.

"How about a three-on-three match?"

"Sure."

"By the way, my name's Silver."

"The name's Paul."

"Okay, Paul, let's start!"

In a flash of bright light, each Trainer's Pokémon took form. Silver had chosen his Weavile, while coincidentally, Paul had sent out a Weavile of his own.

Something about this picture didn't look right. Silver knew Paul was just another person who had a Weavile, but the way they looked was just too familiar. He couldn't put his finger on why, though.

"You can go first," Paul said coolly.

"Thanks," replied Silver. "Use Brick Break!"

Weavile ran forward with its claws glowing. The foe looked calm, despite this. Paul quickly commanded, "Grab it." The enemy Sharp Claw Pokémon moved with astonishing speed and was able to grab Weavile's arm, then it slammed its opponent against the ground. "Now use Brick Break."

The Paul's Weavile reeled its arm back, its fist shining. Silver's Dark-, Ice-type was able to roll out of the way as the attack came down, severely breaking up the ground. Weavile looked on in shock.

"Brick Break!" Silver called again.

"Dodge."

Silver's Pokémon swung at Paul's, but the foe was able to duck just in time. "Keep going!" urged Silver.

"You know what to do," said Paul.

Weavile began assaulting the opponent with Brick Breaks, but Paul's Weavile simply blocked them with its arms and legs, much like how a professional martial artist would. This continued for a few moments.

The redhead became a little nervous. How could this Weavile be so fast? He hadn't seen anything much like it. And what was it about Paul that made Silver feel so uneasy? The way his eyes looked revealed a menacing mentality, one that Silver had been familiar with before.

Suddenly, the other Weavile bent down and kicked its leg outward, knocking its opponent to the ground. Without even a command from Paul, it executed another Brick Break. Silver's Pokémon was able to dodge again, much to Paul and his Weavile's displeasure.

"Ice Punch!" the Trainers commanded simultaneously. Silver winced at the uncanny similarity between them.

Both Weavile clenched their fists, and icy mist began to cover them. Next, the two thrust forward, hitting each other square in the head. Both Dark-, Ice-type Pokémon fell to the ground, knocked out.

Silver returned his partner with a look of empathy on his face. He congratulated it on doing such a great job. Paul, however, said nothing kind to his Pokémon as he returned it. He sighed, saying, "Still too weak."

"What?" Silver asked in shock.

"I can't stand weak Pokémon."

Silver was taken aback. Besides the different hair color and clothing, Paul resembled the way Silver was during his first days as a Trainer. Back then, he only cared if a Pokémon was strong right off the bat, and couldn't stand it when he lost because of some weakling. But Silver had long since dismissed those ideals, having learned better ones from a good friend of his. That Trainer taught him how to care for his Pokémon. Obviously, Paul hadn't encountered anyone like that, or hadn't learned from someone like that he might have met.

Silver grimaced at this revelation, but then went about choosing whom to use next. Once Paul had decided, the two young men released their Pokémon.

Silver had chosen his Alakazam, a Psychic-type Pokémon that excelled in Special Attack and Speed. It was yellow with brown armor around its torso, and it held two spoons in its hands. Paul had chosen a Torterra, a Grass-, Ground-type that had astounding Attack and Defense. It was a large turtle with a tree growing on its shell. But this Torterra looked much fiercer than a normal one. It had most definitely been trained until it had reached a very high level of skill.

Silver gulped at the sight of such a behemoth. Could Alakazam triumph? Or would it be squished like the little insect Paul seemed to think all other Pokémon were?

Paul got in the first move. "Stone Edge!" he ordered.

Torterra started to give off a strange energy, which made jagged rocks protrude from the ground and hover around it. Next, they were shot at great velocity.

"Psychic!" Silver called.

Alakazam's eyes began to glow a light blue, and the flying stones were brought to a standstill. The Psi Pokémon sent them hurtling back toward Torterra.

"Frenzy Plant, quick!" commanded Paul.

Torterra started to glow with a green light, and ferocious spiked plants shot out of the ground, smashing the Stone Edge to rubble.

The Continent Pokémon redirected its Frenzy Plant towards Alakazam, who was caught off guard and grabbed. Torterra's vines constricted the Psychic-type as it struggled to free itself.

"Use Psychic! You can do it!" Silver yelled in desperation.

Alakazam focused its psychic power on Torterra, encasing it in a light blue-colored aura. There was massive pressure pushing down inside the casing, but the Grass-type seemed unharmed. It just stood there, looking up at the struggling Psychic-type.

Torterra's Frenzy Plant slammed Alakazam into the ground, creating an indention upon impact. The Psi Pokémon was instantly knocked out.

Silver returned Alakazam, disheartened at the loss. "You did great," he said softly, returning his friend.

"All according to plan," Paul remarked as he returned his Torterra.

Silver released his Meganium. Unfortunately for him, Paul had chosen a Magmortar, a large, burly Fire-type with enough firepower to level a large building. Its powerful mortars also acted as sleeves on its arms.

"Aw, darn…" Silver murmured, chuckling at his misfortune. "What are the odds of that?"

"Magmortar, use Flamethrower," Paul commanded dryly.

The Blast Pokémon reached its arm out and began to gather a ball of flames in its hand. Magmortar seemed to be taking its time to make the attack as strong as possible.

Silver hesitated at this, but then exclaimed, "Meganium, use—!" Magmortar shot its Flamethrower. With incredible speed, the attack reached Meganium, and it was completely smothered in fire. The heat was so intense that Silver was almost hit by the inferno. Luckily, the forest did not catch on fire. Even so, embers fluttered around in the air, and Paul looked on with a crooked smile, the flames reflecting in his eyes.

An eerie feeling took hold of Silver as he watched the orange light and embers dance around, the fire seeming to fully reveal Paul's sadistic personality. An image of himself the way he was back in Johto flashed in front of Silver's eyes, for a moment replacing Paul as he stood amongst the flames. "Was I really like that?" he thought.

The fire finally diminished, and Meganium could now be seen. It was sprawled out on the charred grass, severely burned.

"Meganium!" Silver cried out in anguish. He ran over to the unconscious Grass-type and propped it up in his arms. "Are you all right?" His Pokémon regained consciousness and gave him a weak nod.

Paul had already returned Magmortar; still the idea of giving his Pokémon any words of gratitude eluded his mind. He walked off deeper into the forest, his hands in his pockets, to continue his training alone.

Silver gave Paul one last withering glare as the boy disappeared into the trees, and then turned his attention back to Meganium.

"Just hold on, buddy. I'll get you to a Pokémon Center!" Silver quickly got out Meganium's Poké Ball and returned it. The Herb Pokémon gave him a sincere look to affirm its confidence in him before dissolving into red light. Silver stood up and continued ahead, and sure enough, the road leading into Olivine was right outside of the tree line.

He trotted down the dirt road, and when he ran into the city, he saw the red roof of the Pokémon Center as he passed the Gym. The sight of it gave him the determination to break into a brisk run. Silver went around a corner of a building and continued down the road until he reached the small picket fence that bordered the Center's yard. He jumped over it effortlessly, and made his way through the two sliding doors of the building.

"Nurse Joy!" Silver cried out as he reached the reception desk. The young woman sitting in the swivel chair there whirled around in surprise. She was not Nurse Joy, though. Instead, it was a younger looking girl, seeming to be in her later teens. She wore a nurse uniform like Nurse Joy, but her pink hair was styled a little differently. It was long and stretched to the middle of her back, though the curly bangs that hung down over a Nurse Joy's forehead were there.

"Whoa, what's the matter?" the receptionist asked in surprise.

"It's an emergency! My Pokémon—it's been burned severely!"

"Oh no!" The young girl told Silver to follow her, and they both went through a door behind the desk. There, they were able to meet up with Nurse Joy in the hallway.

"What?" the nurse exclaimed, having been informed on the emergency. "Young man, come with me!"

She led Silver to a room full of equipment and a large metal table in the middle. There was a large window where Trainers could look in from the hall and watch over their Pokémon.

Nurse Joy instructed Silver to release his Meganium onto the table. When the Pokémon materialized, she could see the full extent of its injuries. The pink-haired woman told the Trainer to wait outside. He politely complied.

A few minutes later, Silver was looking in through the window. Meganium sure looked beaten up. It lied there on the metallic table as Nurse Joy scurried about, trying to do her best to bandage the Pokémon up and to tend to its wounds.

After another minute or two of watching, he found a bench by the wall. He sat down on it, slumped over, and held his head in his hands.

"How could I have let my anger get the better of me?" Silver thought. "I should have known better than to do something so stupid and immature like that." He took a deep breath as he stared at the gray-tiled floor. "I guess I'm no better than Paul.

"But, man, that was sure overwhelming. He is like a mirror that reflected exactly who I was back then…when I first started out. I was selfish and mean to everybody. It's a wonder why Meganium stuck around with me for so long. I looked at every Pokémon that came my way as being 'weak' and sneered at the notion that they could be trained to be the best they could be.

"To think, I could still be that kind of person if it weren't for him. The Trainer who I kept running into, the one who really knocked some sense into me…"

Just then, Nurse Joy stepped out from the hospital room, which snapped Silver out of his thoughts. Meganium followed close behind. It looked rather stiff, and it had bandages all over its body, but seemed to be in a rather chipper mood, nonetheless.

"Young man," the Nurse said as she approached Silver.

"Yes?"

She smiled and announced, "Your Meganium will be just fine."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy!" he exclaimed as the Herb Pokémon tried to give Silver a hug with its neck.

After that, the two companions left the Pokémon Center, and were now wandering around town aimlessly. Silver knew he should be getting back to the helicopter, but would it hurt to stick around for a few minutes and see the sights?

A massive lighthouse towered high above Olivine and its bay. It wasn't on at the moment, but at night, it would have a powerful beam of light shining out across the waters to help guide sailors into port. It was also the home of the Ampharos, Amphy; it was the entity that powered the lighthouse.

The bay was glistening in the late afternoon sunshine, and it reflected the beautiful blue color of the sky. Both seemed to stretch on forever over the southern horizon; the only obstacles in sight were the Whirl Islands off in the distance. To the north, it looked like some gray clouds were building.

Over towards the west stood a colossal building known as the Battle Tower. It was part of the Battler Frontier, a place where Trainers came to test their skills in five different challenges with equally different rules.

Meganium was still out of its Poké Ball as they walked along the docks. It looked up at its Trainer to see an expression of contemplation on his face.

"Hey, I'm sorry," said Silver. "I should have forfeited that match as soon as I saw that Magmortar. I shouldn't have even battled that jerk in the first place. I let him get the best of me, and you got hurt because of it."

The Grass-type looked up at him with soft eyes, telling him it was all right; we all make mistakes. The boy smiled when he saw this. It was certainly good to have a friend like Meganium.

"Thank you," he replied, smiling. The two friends found themselves down by the beach. Realizing they had been lollygagging for too long, Silver said, "We better get back to the helicopter. The pilot is probably wondering where I am."

He finally made his way back to the Rocket helicopter. The pilot didn't mind the long wait, and they were soon airborne.

During the flight, Silver's thoughts were aimed at his new friends and Milver. Would he be able to get in contact with Chase and Jason if push came to shove and Milver decided to attack? How would they meet up? And the most chilling question: could they beat Milver?

Chase and Jason had given Silver their phone numbers, so he felt better knowing that he could call them. But even so, he still had a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. Anxiety set in as Silver started to contemplate what would happen when he and his friends finally threw down with Milver.

Silver started musing over the other aspects of his clone. How did he learn to speak English so well? That could possibly be because of his psychic abilities. But, then, how did he stumble across the Red Power Stone? Did he locate it on his own? How did he actually know what the Stones could do in the first place? And was Milver's plan to exterminate the human race influenced by something or someone else?

The answers to these cryptic questions were far from Silver's reach at this point, but he couldn't help but speculate about them in his mind the entire ride back.

****************


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

Cyrus sat in his white-walled office inside Team Galactic's headquarters. He wore his Team Galactic uniform, and was listening intently to what Charon, his top scientist, had to say.

"Remember the software that young man named Celio made?" asked Charon.

"Yes. Go on," Cyrus replied.

"I, along with some of our other computer analysts, have finally finished examining the program, and we are now ready to commence with the plan, sir."

"Fantastic," he smiled malevolently.

"But, uh…from what we understand, the program was made to simply install a back door in a network to gain access by presenting itself as an authorized component of the system."

"And that is bad because…?"

"Well, sir, in all due respect, we could have simply used a program we already have like it, and, to be frank—"

"Silence! We need someone else to direct the blame at. This way, we have our fall guy, a patsy."

"I-I'm sorry, sir. I wasn't thinking."

"Our only concern lies within accomplishing our goal. Are we done here?" Charon nodded, but hesitated and started to say something. Cyrus added, "I will meet you shortly in the command center." The scientist sighed, deciding it was best not to voice his opinion, and left the room.

After a few minutes had passed, Cyrus walked into the computer room to see the light purple-haired scientist looking over the shoulder of one of the many Galactic employees working on their assignments.

"Are we ready to commence?" Cyrus asked Charon. The short man turned and nodded nervously. "Begin accessing now."

The Galactic grunt at the computer began typing in a few commands, and on the big screen in front of them appeared a window that said, "Pokémon Storage System" along with other information.

"Now activating the program," Charon announced.

The computer screen seemed unresponsive for a moment, but then another window appeared that said, "Access approved."

"Make it look like someone hacked the system and tried to access the Pokémon," Cyrus commanded with an unemotional expression. The man at the computer typed in a few more commands, seeming to wreak havoc. "Now, abort. That should get people's attention."

It certainly did. Over the next half hour, the workers tending to the Storage System noticed these strange anomalies. Despite their attempts to keep this disturbance quiet, the story of how the Pokémon Storage System was tampered with would be all over the news.

Cyrus grinned with a devilish look in his eyes, and proceeded away from the control room to begin making preparations for his departure.

Later that evening, Cyrus flew to an island resort where he would be attending a meeting with many of the industrial elite. He had changed into his black suit with a yellow "G" embroidered onto his breast pocket.

The island was situated off the coast of Johto, sitting somewhere southeast of the Whirl Islands. The resort itself was a luxurious hotel that supplied five-star dinning and service. It even sported a championship golf course.

The meeting was to take place in one of the conference rooms inside the building. Guards were stationed in many places around the island resort, and the hotel had been cleared out days before.

The main lobby had many exotic potted plants set up for decoration. There was even a very expensive glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The walls were white, and the floor was completely made out of marble, as were the stairs leading to the second floor, and the reception desk's counter top.

The conference room was just down a hallway, and its design resembled that of the hotel lobby's; there were white walls and a few potted plants in each corner. The floor was covered with blackened dark brown carpeting, and there was also a glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling, except it wasn't nearly as big as the one in the lobby.

About a hundred or so men were socializing before the convention was to begin. There was a display at the far end of the room with many diagrams and a map of the globe on it, and the large glass windows that bordered the far end's south and east walls had been covered with curtains and blinds. The only light in the room was that coming from the chandelier and other light bulbs placed about the ceiling.

Another feature to note in the room was a table full with plates of caviar, hors d'oeuvres, and oysters on a half shell placed around a Champaign fountain shaped like a Pikachu. The Pokémon sculpture was on its right foot's tiptoes, with the left leg extended outward and arms raised, making it look like a ballerina. The Champaign was squirting out of the statue's mouth into a small reservoir around a stone on which it was balancing.

The chairman sitting at the back of the room stood up and cleared his throat. "If I may have your attention, please," he said. "I would like to call to order this year's annual meeting."

Next, a roll call was initiated. Everyone was in attendance…except for one man.

"Now, with that out of the way," said the chairman, "let's get down to business. How about we start off with hearing from the agricultural committee?"

He sat down and motioned towards a group of men, who the representative of that committee stepped forward and began to present the information he had.

The representative wore spectacles and had thinning gray hair. He explained that they had brought their plan to set up seed vaults, capable of storing thousands of seeds, to fruition. They had established these vaults somewhere up in the northern part of Sinnoh, and were currently in use.

After hearing a bit more, the chairman spoke up: "Thank you for the updates. Next is the corporate committee." The representative of this group was the red-haired man named Maxie Magma, who wore a dark red suit with the Team Magma emblem sewn onto his breast pocket.

The chairman was curious as to what really happened behind the story about the attack on Saffron City that was broadcasted by the corporate media stations that Maxie owned. Team Rocket was reported to have been the entity that carried out the attack, but there had to be more to it than that.

"You see," Maxie explained, "it was reported that Team Rocket was behind it because, if you blame the obvious bad guy, the public will go along with it. The whole project was actually orchestrated by Team Magma's special ops."

"Wait," Cyrus spoke up. "Speaking of Team Rocket, where is Giovanni?"

"He is not here," a man replied.

"He hasn't communicated with us in quite a while. Something smells fishy," Archie Aqua remarked.

"Enough," Maxie said sternly. "Please allow me to finish." He cleared his throat and continued. "Team Magma agents infiltrated the Silph Co. building and planted explosives on the top floors weeks before. They later stole the plans for the Master Ball and detonated the bombs, destroying the vaults and any evidence left behind with them. They had other explosives planted about the city to make it look more like a random attack.

"During and after the time of the detonations, my news broadcasts reported that it was a scheme executed by Team Rocket. The explosives were used to cover up the theft of the Master Ball schematics, and the news stories were used to steer the focus of the public. But you didn't hear that from me," he chuckled. "Moving on, let us turn our attention to my fellow committee member, Cyrus Galactic. How is your operation going?"

Caught off guard, Cyrus hesitated for a moment before he replied, "Well, the program we've obtained utilizes the ability to create backdoors in systems to allow us access."

A man across the table from Cyrus broke in and said, "This is the program you hired the creator of the Global Trade Station to make for you?"

"Yes."

"We already have that type of technology! Why did you put this boy in a situation where he could find out what you're doing?"

"He is simply a patsy; someone to take the blame just in case we needed a backup plan," Cyrus replied with an unfazed expression.

"I see. But what did you tell the boy when you commissioned him to make this software?" a man with a thick mustache asked.

"I told him the program was for communications."

"I hope so," said the man across from Cyrus. "You could have jeopardized everything you're trying to do."

The chairman stood up and said, "Thank you for your report."

The meeting went on for a while longer. After it was adjourned, the attendees left the conference room to enjoy the resort's many luxuries.

Cyrus had sat down with two of his fellow committee members, Archie and Maxie, out in the deserted lobby of the hotel. They were discussing their opinions on another member of their committee, the only man absent during this year's meeting: Giovanni.

The trio was seated on cushioned benches under the large skylight that made up part of the lobby's ceiling. The floor under them had a mosaic design in the shape of an Articuno.

Archie wore a blue suit with the Team Aqua emblem sewn onto his breast pocket to follow the same trend as his colleagues. He had also tied his favorite bandanna onto his head.

"His actions as of late are strange, indeed. But that does not brand him a traitor," said Maxie as he stroked his chin.

"Giovanni must have a plan that he's been keeping secret from us," Cyrus insisted. "That's why he hasn't been around!"

"Giovanni has cast off on his own," Archie chimed in, looking very serious.

Cyrus put on an irritated grin. "Yes, that's it. He must be hiding on a boat somewhere out on the ocean! Thank you for that burst of inspiration, Archie!" he scoffed.

"You're welcome!" Archie shot back.

"Gentlemen!" Maxie intervened. "Quit this childish behavior! And for that matter, let's just drop this talk about Giovanni altogether."

"But, what if he's planning to turn on us?"

"For all we know, he could be planning a beach party," Archie remarked. Cyrus shot him a withering glare before continuing.

"All I'm saying is that Giovanni should be watched. I've never really felt he was working to further our agenda in the first place."

"And how often have _you_ not worked to further the agenda, Cyrus?"

The spiky-haired man seemed to deflate. He scowled, and his glare shifted to the floor.

"Speaking of furthering the agenda, I need to get back to work. I strongly suggest you do the same."

With that, Maxie walked out of the extravagant lobby with Archie in tow. The rugged sailorman glanced back at Cyrus, who was still glaring at the floor, hands clenched.

****************


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

It was the second day of Chase and Jason's cruise to Vermilion City. The sun was shining, and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Chase marveled as he gazed out at the horizon. He almost couldn't tell where the water's surface ended and the sky began.

Haunter and Politoed were playing shuffleboard on the deck. The Gas Pokémon was prone to causing mischief, though, and frequently cheated just to get under Politoed's skin.

Butterfree and Pidgeot were flying high above the ship. Charizard wanted to join them, but it felt uneasy flying over such a great expanse of water, so it just sat by Chase while looking up at the sky.

Jason's Pokémon were currently in their Poké Balls, taking a nap…while Jason was doing the same. He was asleep in one of the lounge chairs and had his cowboy hat tipped down over his face as he snored peacefully, his hands behind his head.

As big and strong as Charizard was, Chase couldn't help but chuckle as he saw his partner sitting with its eyes glued to the sky with an air of innocence about it. Despite it having matured to adulthood, Charizard still had the demeanor of a Charmander.

Fed up with sitting around and doing nothing, Chase jumped out of his chair and called to Butterfree. After getting its attention, he rounded up Haunter and Politoed and took advantage of the huge deck.

This ship was designed with Pokémon Trainers in mind, and so the deck was battle-ready. Chase started training his three teammates, helping them hone their skills and attain new ones. Charizard remained near the chair and looked on. Feeling like it had battled enough lately, the large Pokémon leaned over on its side and joined Jason in Snooze Land.

The training was going well…until Haunter felt like causing trouble again and launched a weak Shadow Ball at Jason. The cowboy woke with a jolt and fell out of his chair. Charizard lifted its head, thinking it heard something, and looked around through slit eyes for a moment, then went back to sleep.

"Jason!" Chase cried as he ran up to him.

"That's a fine how-do-you-do!" Jason said jovially as he popped up on the opposite side of the chair with his hat sitting crooked on his head.

"Haunter! Return!" He pulled out Haunter's Poké Ball to return it. The Ghost-type snickered to itself as it disappeared into the red beam of light. "Jason, are you okay?"

"Well, aside from the fact I was awakened somewhat rudely, I'm just fine!"

"I'm sorry Haunter did that," Chase apologized as he sat down on the end of the chair.

"It's okay, don't worry." There was a moment of silence, but then Jason said, "You know, I'm curious as to what we're going to do when Silver has us fight that crazy clone of his."

Surprised at the sudden change of subject, Chase replied, "Well, what do you think?"

"Ah, well… I fought Milver back in Vermilion a while ago with Bill, and boy, I tell you, he isn't a pushover. But, we didn't have you or Silver to help out, so I bet we'll have a better chance next time. And besides, he ran away when we turned the tables on him."

"Eh, I don't think I'd be very much help."

"Oh, c'mon. You're one of those Chaser guys. You'll be a big help!"

"Thanks, Jason. But, we'll see."

The older Trainer sat and looked out over the sea. "I have to say, this is probably the most interesting adventure I've ever been on. First, Team Rocket attacked the military base I was on, and I had to flee with the Lustrous Orb to keep it secure. They followed me from Sinnoh and all the way down to Kanto, where they finally captured me. Next, I ran into you, and we were able to escape. After that, we ended up going back to their hideout to rescue your Charmeleon when they took the artifact, and Silver recruited us to help him defeat his clone."

"How is that interesting?" Chase asked jokingly.

"I don't know, it just is. Hey, I bet it would make a great novel!"

Meanwhile, at the Mt. Silver Rocket base, Silver watched Giovanni's large airship arrive in the hanger. Rocket workers were busy hauling a frantic Moltres in a cage out of the cargo hold.

Giovanni stepped out of the massive aircraft along with Nelson. The Rocket leader turned and said, "Professor, I need you to contact the construction site to see if the containing units are operational. If so, organize a group to take Moltres and Articuno there for safekeeping."

"Yes, sir."

Nelson made an abrupt turn to the left and made his way towards the men wheeling Moltres away. Then, all mayhem broke loose. The legendary bird launched powerful Flamethrowers in-between the cage's bars. Its attacks hit some of the nearby equipment, catching them on fire, some blowing up. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have put Moltres in such a generic enclosure.

Giovanni seemed to move in slow motion. He walked coolly through the room, seeming to just barely avoid being hit by the flames. Explosions occurred on every side of the man, but it had absolutely no affect on him; he just kept walking forward with an unfaltering expression, then ordered, "And get those Pokémon in appropriate shipping containers!"

Giovanni casually approached Silver, who was now hiding behind a crate, and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "I want to have a word with you," he said.

The stern-looking man escorted Silver out of the hanger and they entered the busy main hallway. Many scientists were rushing around, and they were constantly bumping into each other.

Silver was led into his room, and he sat on his bed. Giovanni pulled up a chair beside him.

"Silver," Giovanni started, "you may be wondering what this is about." The boy nodded. "I have a few questions to ask you. Do you still have the Blue Stone I gave to you?"

"Yes," he answered with the same expression his father had. Their faces were so alike, they looked almost like brothers.

"I trust it's helped you in your research about the Stones."

"Uh, yes, it has."

"Yes, those Stones are a wonder—a mystery, just waiting to be solved. Each being unique with its own special abilities. Alone, just one of the Stones could grant a person exceptional powers, but together…" His sentence trailed off. Silver leaned forward, waiting for him to finish.

Giovanni changed the subject. "So, while you were out researching, did you find another Power Stone?" Silver sullenly shook his head in response. "You're sure?" He nodded in the same manner. The man stood up and started to leave the room, but turned to look back. "Hmm… Maybe you should start by asking your friend."

Silver lost his composure at this, but couldn't respond because Giovanni had already closed the door.

****************


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

It had been a week since Chase and Jason left Cinnabar, and their ship was just now docking in Vermilion Harbor. A long ramp was extended to the ground for the passengers to disembark.

Down the ramp came Chase with Butterfree on his head, and Haunter floating close by. Pidgeot and Charizard had been returned for the time being, Politoed teetered down the slope after its Trainer, acting as if it were seasick, and was followed by Jason with his Pokémon in their Poké Balls.

Chase had been training his Pokémon a lot during this voyage. Politoed had learned Bounce, Butterfree had learned Silver Wind and Psychic, while Pidgeot had learned Air Slash.

Once the group had gotten off the ship, Chase returned his Pokémon, and he and Jason headed towards the Poké Mart to buy some items. On the way, Jason spoke up and said, "So, where to next after we shop?"

"I was thinking about going to Saffron to check up on the Gym again," Chase replied. "It's been awhile, so I figure that Sabrina might be accepting challenges now."

Jason agreed with Chase's reasoning. The two friends bought what they were looking for at the market and headed north towards Saffron.

It was rather early in the morning, about eight-thirty. The sky above Route 6 was a soft blue; there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The dirt road was void of traffic, leaving lots of room for Chase and Jason to walk. It was very quiet; the only sounds were a few chirping Pidgey off in the distance and the rustling leaves blowing in the wind.

The two Trainers made good time. The sun was sinking in the western sky as they arrived at Saffron, coating the city in a crisp, golden glow.

Both of them noticed the lack of clanging metal and the noise of machinery; the repairs had finally been finished. Chase was overjoyed, because this meant that Sabrina was more likely to accept his challenge. Thoughts of what Pokémon he should use for the battle filled his head.

But he was met with a disappointing sight. As Chase and Jason approached, they saw that there was a long line out in front of the Gym.

A young Trainer came running out of the front entrance, crying as he carried his fainted partner to the Pokémon Center, then the next Trainer walked in. This was the usual pattern.

"What's going on here?" Chase exclaimed.

The Trainer at the back of the line turned and answered Chase's question: "Sabrina is finally accepting challenges, so Trainers started flocking here from everywhere to battle her. There were so many people, we had to form a line."

Chase recognized the boy as Tyson, the Trainer he had been running into along his journey. "Hi there, Tyson!"

"Hello! Going to get another Badge?"

"Yeah." Jason turned and started to walk away, but Chase stopped him. "And just where do you think you're going?" the boy demanded.

"Oh, I thought I'd go and hang out at the Pokémon Center. It looks like you're going to be here awhile." With that, he sauntered off, leaving Chase to wait alone at the back of the line.

One grueling hour later, it was finally Chase's turn to go battle Sabrina. He walked courageously into the front door and down a spooky hallway, lit with dim, orange lights. Chase's courageousness started to dwindle as he walked farther and farther into the building. By the time he had reached the arena, he had been reduced to a quivering pile of jelly.

The room he had entered was completely like the hallway with dim lanterns on the walls. White chalk lines were drawn on the ground, making out the battlefield. Chase was standing on one end of the field, while the Gym Leader sat in a chair on the other.

Sabrina wore a red shirt with long, black sleeves, and a red skirt that hung down over her black pants. She looked much scarier than she did the last time Chase had seen her.

The young woman stood up and walked to her starting position. "You wish to have a battle?" she asked from across the room.

"Yes," Chase replied weakly.

"You get the first turn."

"Thanks. I choose you! Charizard!"

He tossed a Poké Ball into the air that released his powerful Charizard. It roared proudly and shot a large Flamethrower into the air. It was a good thing Sabrina had a vaulted ceiling.

Sabrina laughed quietly to herself. "Typical," she said as she released her Mr. Mime.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

It opened its mouth and shot. In defense, Mr. Mime threw its hands up in front of the attack. Charizard's Flamethrower connected, but the Psychic-type was somehow deflecting the fire around itself.

Suddenly, a burst of psychic energy blasted through the fire and up to Charizard, knocking it off balance for a second. The Mr. Mime had attacked, but Sabrina wasn't calling out any moves.

"Why would a Gym Leader let their Pokémon do whatever they please?" Chase thought. Taking into account the theme of the Gym and the Leader's abilities, he concluded that Sabrina must have been communicating with her Pokémon through telepathy. This wasn't good. It meant that Chase would be completely in the dark about what Sabrina was going to do. He could only go off her Pokémon's body language.

"Wing Attack!" Chase called before Mr. Mime could do anything else.

Charizard flew at the Mime Pokémon with great speed. Its wings glowed brightly, and it rammed one of them hard against the enemy.

Mr. Mime was sent sprawling. Sabrina gave it another command, and so the Pokémon used Psychic to lift Charizard in the air. The large Fire-type struggled to get out of its foe's grasp, but all it accomplished was making itself look foolish. Mr. Mime slammed its adversary into the ground, stirring up a huge cloud of dust that blocked everyone's vision. There was a brief silence that followed, but then, without warning, a metallic glow came from within the haze. Charizard burst out towards Sabrina's Mr. Mime and sliced it with a Metal Claw, knocking the poor Psychic-type out.

"Yes! You did it, Charizard!" Chase exclaimed.

Sabrina smirked and returned her fallen Pokémon. Charizard flew back over to its side of the field as Sabrina sent out her Alakazam.

Chase was given the first turn once again, so he ordered, "Use Dragon Rage!"

The Pokémon opened its mouth and formed a purple ball that was launched with blistering speed. Just as the attack was going to hit its mark, the ball of energy was caught and held in place by light blue-colored energy, just about an inch from the Psychic-type's face. The ball was then turned loose against Charizard, and it received a boost in momentum. This surprise turn of events caught both Chase and his Pokémon off guard.

Charizard was hit, and it toppled over on its back, knocked out. Sabrina's Alakazam was able to finish that round without as much as a scratch.

Chase had to think. Who could put up a decant fight against a Pokémon of this caliber? Perhaps Butterfree could handle Alakazam. It did learn Silver Wind while training on the cruise liner, so why not?

The young Trainer threw Butterfree's Poké Ball, releasing the Bug-, Flying-type. It fluttered in the air for a bit before Chase called for it to use Silver Wind.

Butterfree began flapping its wings quickly, kicking up a powerful gust of air. Tiny, razor-sharp spores fell from its wings and were picked up by the wind.

Alakazam was buffeted by the strange, silvery gale, and came out of the attack with scrapes and scuffs everywhere on its body. It panted and held one eye closed.

The yellow Psychic-type held up one of its spoons and looked to be concentrating. Immediately, Chase knew it was going to use Psychic, so he called to Butterfree, "Use Psychic, quick!"

Butterfree's eyes began to shine light blue just as Alakazam's did. Then, there was a clash of energy in the middle of the battlefield. The blowback of this almost knocked Butterfree out of the air, and pushed Alakazam backward towards its Trainer.

Sabrina's Pokémon tried to attack again, but Chase told Butterfree to repeat using its Psychic. Another clash of blue energy appeared, this time in a different area of the room.

The Pokémon continued this dual for some time, but neither could land a direct hit.

In frustration, Sabrina called to Alakazam, "Energy Ball!"

Chase cracked a wry smile. As Alakazam formed and launched the Grass-type move, Chase told his Pokémon to use Psychic and Silver Wind. The shimmering wind began blowing again, and Butterfree sent the Energy Ball hurtling back. With the combined force of the two attacks, Alakazam was knocked out.

Sabrina dejectedly returned her Pokémon and picked another Poké Ball off her belt. Chase congratulated Butterfree on a job well done and returned it.

"You've got spunk," Sabrina said unexpectedly. "I haven't battled someone like you for quite some time."

"Thank you," Chase replied.

Sabrina then whispered, "I suppose I'll have to use—"

"Haunter! I choose you!" Chase called as he tossed another Poké Ball above the field.

Sabrina, surprised for a moment, regained her composure and said, "I choose you, Haunter!" She tossed her own Poké Ball upwards, and released the same Pokémon as Chase.

That was strange. Why would a Psychic-type Gym Leader have a Ghost-type Pokémon?

"This is quite the coincidence," Sabrina explained, "I was just about to send out my own Haunter. I got this a few years ago from a Trainer. You remind me a lot of him."

"Huh, you don't say?" Chase said. "Well, let's continue! Haunter, use Shadow Ball!"

The Ghost-type made a ball of dark energy in its hands and threw the sphere as if it were bowling.

"Lick!" Sabrina called.

Sabrina's Haunter dodged the Shadow Ball, floated up to Chase's Pokémon, and licked it. After being drenched in slobber, you'd think Haunter would be out cold, but no. Haunter stood its ground—or air for that matter—and looked the other Haunter square in the eyes. The two ghosts floated there like that for a minute, then they started taking turns licking each other to see who could go the longest without fainting.

Chase and Sabrina were thoroughly freaked out about this. Neither person's Pokémon would respond to a command, so both Trainers could only watch as the two Pokémon continued their strange competition. But, finally, Chase's Haunter noticed it was being called to.

"Haunter!" Chase shouted, aggravated. The Gas Pokémon stopped licking Sabrina's and turned to the side. It looked at its Trainer through the corners of its eyes, while the other Pokémon continued licking Haunter's cheek. "Use a Shadow Ball!"

Haunter turned back around and took one more lick to the face as it made its Shadow Ball. The specter made it explode at pointblank rage, and Sabrina's Haunter fell to the ground, knocked out. Both Chase and Sabrina returned their Ghost-types, and then walked toward each other. They met in the middle of the arena, where the Gym Leader pulled out a heart-shaped Badge and handed it to the victor.

"That's the Marsh Badge," Sabrina explained with a smile.

Chase replied, "Thank you." He pinned his new Badge onto the inside of his jacket with the others.

"That was an interesting match."

"Yes, it was. I wonder why our Haunters started licking each other?"

"Well, I know my Haunter's always been one for goofing off. That's one of the reasons why I like it so much. I'm grateful to the young man who gave it to me."

"Sounds like he was a nice guy."

"Yes. He certainly was."

"Well, I need to go catch up to a friend of mine. Knowing him, he's probably taking a nap at the Pokémon Center. Thanks again for the match, Sabrina!"

Chase left the Gym and made his way to the Pokémon Center, where Jason was indeed taking a nap. He was asleep on one of the couches in the Trainer's lounge with his cowboy hat over his face.

Feeling mischievous, Chase released his Ghost-type and told it to float in front of Jason's face. The Trainer removed his friend's hat, and Jason opened his eyes to see Haunter making the most horrendous face on earth.

"Aaagh!" he screamed. "Mayday, mayday—whoa!" Jason rolled over and fell off the couch. He got up and saw Chase clutching his hat and wearing a huge grin.

Jason grabbed his hat back and, as he secured it on his head, he said, "Yeah, yuck it up now. You better hope nothing bad happens to you tonight while you're asleep."

He walked off with a smirk on his face. At first, Chase just shrugged it off, but as he thought more about it, he became worried and ran after Jason, calling, "Uh, Jason? You don't mean that, do you? Jason?!"

****************


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

The day after Chase's battle with Sabrina, Jason and Chase had taken the route north of Saffron and continued to Cerulean City, where they decided to stay for a while.

Three days later, the Trainers were on their way out of town when they saw a stand being tended by two people. Chase wanted to go take a look at what was being sold.

The shop was a wooden trailer hooked to the back of a pickup truck. The stand was colored with pretty blue and green paint.

Its shopkeepers looked to be packing up. The first was a man with blue jeans and a green apron and bandana on his head. The second was a woman with similar clothing, except her apron and bandana were red.

"Hello!" Chase greeted them.

"Hello," the man replied.

"What are you selling?"

"Well, we were sellin' Pokémon Eggs, but we're packing up to go home now."

"Aw. Does that mean you don't have anymore Eggs?"

"Well…" the man's voice trailed off. "One. We have one. It's an Electric-type. But just know that it could be a little difficult to handle once it hatches. Do you want it?"

"Yes, I want it. I could really use an Electric-type, so I'd be glad to take it off your hands!"

"Well, then, I suppose you can have it."

The woman went into the stand and brought back the Egg. It was in a glass incubator, something that was usually used for the traveling Trainer to carry their Eggs with.

"Here you go," she said, handing the incubator to the boy.

Chase gave them some money for the Egg and thanked them. Then he and Jason continued on their way while the couple finished cleaning.

As the two friends continued to venture towards Mt. Moon, Chase examined his new Egg. It was yellow in color, and had black stripes around it.

"That's a nifty Egg you got there," Jason commented.

"Yeah, thanks. I wonder what it'll hatch into?"

"I don't know. I guess it'll be a surprise."

After a moment, Chase spoke up. "Say, Jason, have you ever hatched a Pokémon Egg before?"

"Me? I've hatched a couple of Pokémon, and now they're part of my team."

"Cool. Hey, you know, maybe my Egg will turn out to be a Mareep, so I could get an Ampharos like yours!"

"Yeah!" Jason chuckled.

"And maybe we could have a battle sometime."

"I'll be looking forward to that!" Jason stared at the peek of Mt. Moon in the distance and thought for a moment. "You know, I wonder how Silver's doing."

"I do, too. Wonder if he'll come calling about that clone of his soon."

"I don't expect we'll see Milver for a while. Nor do I want to, really," he laughed. "But, it's weird; he doesn't look entirely like Silver. Sure, he's got the same-colored hair, he's about the same height, and even wears the same style of clothes as Silver, but he looks slightly different. Maybe it has something to do with him having psychic powers."

"Yeah, maybe," Chase replied. He looked up at the setting sun. "It's getting late. Should we set up camp?"

Jason lifted his eyes to the dimming sky. "I was kind of hoping to get to Pewter as soon as possible."

"Well, how about we don't worry about time and look around? The last time I was at Mt. Moon, I was more concerned about making it to Cerulean and chasing away two Team Rocket thugs to take in the sights."

"I guess you've got a point there. I've always wanted to take a look around these parts, anyway."

"Then it's settled!"

Chase and Jason stopped and built a fire in a nice open area. They let their Pokémon out for a while as they roasted marshmallows under the starry night sky.

Haunter was up to its old tricks again and was going around scaring the other members of Chase's team. But, when it tried to scare Jason's Houndoom, it was met with a snarl and a small Flamethrower as a warning.

Charizard was flying high above the trees, patrolling the area and exercising its wings. Its tail burned brightly in the dark, so it was possible to point it out from the ground. The wind whistled in the Fire-type's ears as it scanned around the campsite.

As Jason got ready to put his marshmallow on a graham cracker, he noticed that Chase looked troubled.

Concerned, he asked, "Hey, are you all right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah…"

"It seems like there's something bothering you."

"Well… I'm just thinking about the things Yosocky said. Why am I the one who can sense Arceus?"

"You're worried about that? Don't be."

"It's just…what if something like in the legend would happen, and everyone expected a hero to save the day? I can't fill that position."

Jason paused. "If the situation called for a hero, why couldn't it be you, Chase? Don't just give up when something seems scary or discouraging. If you don't at least try your best, then you'll never know if you would have failed at it, or if you would have succeeded. If that time comes, I'm sure you'll make the right decision."

Chase sat there for a moment, and then responded, "You're right. What am I worried about? If that ever happens, I'll give it my all."

"That's the spirit!" Jason exclaimed as he reached his hand out towards Chase, holding some graham crackers and a small chocolate bar. "Now, you better make the decision to take these and use them before your marshmallow catches on fire."

Chase looked at the end of his stick to see that his fluffy snack was still in the campfire. Jerking it away from the flame, he stuck the marshmallow on both graham crackers and chocolate.

"Thanks, Jason. For everything."

"You're welcome."

****************


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

It had been roughly a week, and Silver was getting anxious. There had been no word from his dad in ages, and there was a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Silver had been training his Pokémon throughout the week. Each had progressed quite nicely. Whenever they needed a break, he would return them and practice using his Blue Chaser powers, along with his martial arts.

Presently, during the early morning, Silver decided to see if he could find Professor Nelson and ask him some questions. Fortunately, the purple-haired scientist was easily found in one of the base's hangers, working on some schematics.

Silver gingerly walked up to Nelson and looked over his shoulder. The plans that were laid out were very strange. They looked to be about extracting energy, but from what?

The redhead had leaned too far forward so that he was in Nelson's sight. The scientist let out a startled cry before recomposing himself and saying, "Oh, Silver, it's just you."

"Hey, there, Nelson."

"Hello," the short man replied, sounding a little disheartened.

"What's the matter?"

"Well, I'm having trouble making this device work. Nothing too serious, it's just a little frustrating." Nelson noticed that Silver was looking over the blueprints, so in a frantic rush he folded up the paper. "Hey, you're not authorized to look at this!"

"Okay, okay. I just have a few questions for you."

"About what?"

"Do you know what my dad is up to, and, better yet, where he is?"

"He's collecting components for his big project. As for where he is, he could be anywhere in Kanto or Johto."

"All right. Do you know when he'll be getting back?"

Before Anthony could say anything, Giovanni's aircraft taxied into the hanger. The noise from the engines died down as Giovanni disembarked from the ship and approached them.

"Professor, I want you to help with unloading the cargo."

Rocket personal were pulling a caged Suicune from out of the storage area of the airship. But instead of being in a state of panic, it looked rather calm.

Nelson ran off clumsily to aid the workers. Then Giovanni turned to Silver and said, "Son, I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"In light of your excellent abilities shown through your training, I believe its time to put your skills to the test. I want you to take my place for a short time at the Viridian Gym."

"What? Really?" Silver exclaimed in astonishment.

"I fear I've been gone too long without an explanation, and I do not wish to have any questions raised. Just cover for me until I can work going to the Gym into my schedule."

"All right, I'll do it!"

"Good. I'll have a chopper ready to take you to Viridian City." Silver began to walk away, but Giovanni stopped him. "And, Silver?"

"Yes?"

"I have a mission for you to do after you have finished filling in for me. I want you to acquire the Green Stone from your friend and bring it back here."

"What friend? I don't know what you're talking about," the boy defended.

"You know fully well. The one you've been journeying around with." Before Silver could interject, Giovanni continued, "There's no need to hide it from me, I already know. Chase has the Green Stone, and I need you to obtain it from him."

"How do you know about that?"

"I've met Chase before. In Viridian City, to be precise. After meeting him and learning what he had experienced, I knew he'd get his hands on that Stone sooner or later. That's when I informed Nelson on the plan, so he could get more work done."

"Nelson knows, too?"

"I needed to tell him enough so he could direct the project without me being there constantly to watch over him."

"But, how did you know I was with Chase?"

"I have contacts that have seen you. But that's beside the point." Giovanni's voice took on a more sarcastic tone as he said, "Since you're such good friends with Chase, it won't be any trouble getting the Green Stone from him, now will it?"

"But, Dad!"

"Silver, that's an order."

Giovanni walked away, leaving the boy trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Later, in Pewter City, Chase and Jason were leaving the Pokémon Center after having lunch. They had been seeing the sights all around as they made their way to Viridian.

Chase's Egg he bought from the Breeders was sitting inside his backpack. Lately, it had been moving occasionally, so that gave Chase hope that it would hatch soon.

Jason's face was buried in a map. "Now, we haven't been to the museum yet, but if we head this way, we can…but that would just lead us to…so I think we should go that way…but, then again," he rambled.

Chase peered through Jason's arms at the map and pointed to a particular spot.

"How about we head there?" he suggested with a wry grin.

"Viridian Forest? Sure! Oh, wait! But first, I need to head back in the Center."

Jason turned around and went back inside with Chase in tow. The soldier made his way toward one of the TV phones and dialed in a number. Within a few seconds, a man in his thirties showed up on the screen. He had brown hair that spiked up at the top, and had a blue shirt underneath a white lab coat.

"Oh, Jason! What a pleasant surprise!" the man exclaimed.

"Hey! It's nice to see you, Professor Elm!"

"It's nice to see you, too! What do you need?"

"I just wanted to check up on things. How are my Pokémon doing?"

"Very good! Don't you worry about anything!"

"Okay, thank you."

"Everything holding up on your end?" the professor asked.

"Yep, everything's fine. How's the lab?"

"Oh, busy as usual!"

"That's good," he chuckled. "Well then, I better let you go. I'll talk to you later. Bye!"

The two hung up, and Jason turned to walk out of the Center.

"Wow, you know Professor Elm?" Chase asked in wonder.

"Yeah, he takes care of some of my Pokémon," Jason explained.

"That's cool."

The two Trainers made their way into Viridian Forest. The place sure hadn't changed much since the last time Chase was here. It was just the same dirt path leading through the same overgrown vegetation and trees. But the path was faded, so it was easy to get lost.

After about thirty minutes of roaming the thick forest, Chase suggested they take a brake. He and Jason sat against a tree and relaxed for a bit. But their rest was short-lived when a cry for help broke the silence.

Chase jumped to his feet and looked around. The cry came again, sounding like it was that of a child.

"Where is it coming from?" Jason asked.

"I think it's over there!" Chase responded.

The young Trainer went darting off into the trees after the sound, leaving Jason in the dust.

After Chase had left Jason's view, he continued deeper into the forest until he found the source of the noise. A little boy, looking to be a few years younger than Chase, was huddled up against a tree, hugging a Caterpie. A swarm of Beedrill had surrounded them; their needles pointed and ready to attack.

Thinking fast, Chase tossed one of his Poké Balls upward, releasing his Charizard.

"Use Flamethrower!" he shouted.

Charizard aimed its Fire-type attack at the Beedrill, taking extra precaution to not catch any of the trees on fire. The Bee Pokémon were easily persuaded to leave, and the sound of angry buzzing faded off into the distance.

"Thanks!" the boy exclaimed as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you all right?" Chase asked as he sat down beside him.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"What happened?"

"I was playing with my Caterpie when, all of a sudden, these Beedrill came and attacked us. I don't know what I did, but they seemed mad! When we tried to fight them, Caterpie got hurt."

"Well, why were you playing all the way out here?"

"Because I wanted to practice being a Pokémon Trainer, but now I don't want to be one. It's too scary, and battling is hard."

Chase was disheartened at hearing this. He felt bad that this boy had lost interest in Pokémon training with just one bad experience.

"Say, what's your name?"

"Chance," the boy replied.

"Well, Chance, let me tell you something a good friend of mine told me: 'Don't just give up when something seems scary or discouraging.' You have to work at something to accomplish it. Sure, sometimes it seems like there isn't anything you can do, and you might feel afraid you'll mess up, but you still need to try. If you don't try, then you'll never know if you could do it, right?"

"I guess…" Chance replied as he hugged his Caterpie.

"So don't let this little mess-up change your mind about being a Pokémon Trainer."

"Okay."

"Now, you better get home."

"Yeah. Thank you!"

"Are you going to be all right getting back?"

"Yes. My house isn't far from here." The young boy thanked him again and ran off through the bushes.

Chase stood up and started calling for Jason. The older Trainer came walking out from behind some trees as he followed Chase's voice.

"Why did you leave me behind like that?"

"Sorry, I had to get to whoever was calling for help."

"Well, did you?"

"Yes. It's all taken care of now. And, I think we're at the other end of the forest, too."

"Good! All's well that ends well! Let's go."

The duo made their way through the remainder of the trees and came upon Route 2, which was vastly open compared to the cramped forest. They continued forward and eventually made it into town.

Chase headed towards the Gym and found himself in the northeastern corner of Viridian. He approached the doors of the building, much like he had on the first day of his journey, and entered as Jason followed behind.

The inside of the Gym wasn't much. There were plain, gray walls, and a simple dirt floor where the battlefield was. It had white chalk lines marking the boundaries, but there were no other objects lying about. The dim lighting, coming in from the small, shaded windows close to the high ceiling, enhanced the empty room's mysterious air.

The building was designed so that you'd enter from the eastern side. This way, the battlefield was positioned so that the challengers could simply walk forward and be at their spot. The room stretched farther to the west, where the field eventually ended, and where the darkness was most thick. Chase observed that there was a rough shape of a balcony on the western wall, where a big reclining chair was facing back at him. This was a strange Gym indeed.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening sounded in the darkness from the far end. Chase and Jason readied themselves.

Their hearts pounded as a figure began to form out of the blackness. At first, Chase thought it was the Gym Leader, but the person seemed…shorter than he remembered. Soon, a black coat with red designs lining it appeared, along with indigo-colored pants and shoulder-length red hair.

"Chase? Jason?" said the newcomer.

"Silver!" the two Trainers chorused.

"Hey, guys!"

"What are you doing here?" Jason asked.

"Me? I'm filling in for my dad as Gym Leader."

"Your dad's the Gym Leader?" Chase exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yes, that's right. So, I take it you're here for a Gym battle?"

"You got it."

"All right! It'll be a three-on-three match. And don't expect me to go easy on you!"

They took their positions on both sides of the field, and Silver sent out his Magneton. It floated merrily in the air as Chase made his decision.

Being half Steel-type, Chase knew of only one Pokémon that could deal with such an adversary: Charizard. So, he tossed its Poké Ball high into the air, and after releasing a stream of white light, the Fire-type materialized and shot a Flamethrower into the air, preparing itself for battle.

"You get the first turn!" Silver called.

"Thanks! Use Flamethrower, Charizard!"

"Dodge!"

Magneton swiftly moved out of the way, then Silver called for it to use Thunderbolt. Charizard was hit, and cried out in pain as it fell to the ground.

The Flame Pokémon knelt on its right knee, pushing on it with its arm to stand up straight again; small electrical currents flashed about its body for a few seconds.

"Grab Magneton and hold it down!"

Charizard overwhelmed the opponent when it flew up, grabbed it, and held the Magnet Pokémon to the ground with its humongous foot. The giant lizard let loose a Flamethrower right on top of it, leaving Magneton scorched.

"Thunderbolt, now!"

Magneton sent electricity coursing through Charizard's body. The Fire-type jerked back, allowing Silver's Pokémon to float into the air with anger in its eyes.

Suddenly, Silver ordered Magneton to ram its opponent. It came up on Charizard's right flank and slammed into the Fire-type's shoulder with its hard body. Charizard countered with a mighty swing of its tail, catapulting its assailant across the room at a blistering speed.

The Electric-type eventually regained its balance in the air and came to hover a few feet away from Silver. But then, it fell to the ground, too tired to continue. Silver returned his unconscious Pokémon and told it what a great job it had done. Next, he chose Crobat. The Poison-, Flying-type materialized in mid-air and flapped its wings in perfect rhythm.

Charizard looked to be in pain as it glared ahead with determination. Electrical currents occasionally jumped from one point of its body to another, showing it still had a charge from all the attacks it took from Magneton. It held its shoulder with its left arm, and it stood slouched over.

"Charizard, I'm going to return y—" The Pokémon took one look back at Chase over its shoulder. It seemed as if a flame of determination was burning in its eyes, showing Charizard's resolve. "Okay, I'll keep you in. Use Dragon Rage!"

"Dodge it!" Silver called.

Crobat quickly ducked out of the way as the ball of purple energy whizzed by. Chase commanded Charizard to use Flamethrower, but Crobat shot an Air Slash that cut right through the fire. The blast of air continued down the blazing attack until it met with Charizard's head.

The large Fire-type Pokémon toppled over on its back, defeated. Chase returned it to its Poké Ball and thanked it for being such a great partner.

And so, he released Pidgeot. It flew in the air as it flapped its massive wings. The sheer size of this new foe made Crobat turn white.

"Use Wing Attack, Pidgeot!" Chase commanded.

The Bird Pokémon flew towards the opponent as its wings glowed brightly. But when it got close enough to land its attack, Crobat cowardly flew out of the way. Pidgeot stopped in mid-air and whirled around to face its foe, inadvertently using its Twister attack.

Crobat was swept up in the whirlwind and beaten pretty badly. It shakily fluttered in the air as it tried to recover from the dizzying attack.

"Pidgeot, use your Air Slash, quick!"

Chase's Flying-type thrust its wings forward, making a deep "whoosh" sound. The gust of air hit Crobat right in the stomach, and the bat Pokémon fell to the ground, unconscious.

The Normal-, Flying-type went back to Chase's side of the field and landed. It stood tall and held its head proudly.

Silver leafed through his belt again, choosing his final Pokémon. He threw the Poké Ball up above him, where it released a stream of white light that took form as his Starter.

"Use Body Slam, Meganium!" Silver called.

The Grass-type ran up to Pidgeot and attempted to ram it in the stomach, but the bird quickly took to the air. Silver smiled wryly as he commanded his friend to use Razor Leaf.

Many sharp leaves were shot at the Flying-type. Unable to sacrifice the use of one of its wings to block the brunt of the attack, it was thoroughly scraped and cut. It started to fall to the ground, but soon righted itself and rose back into the air.

It was then that Pidgeot noticed Meganium had been charging a Solar Beam. Chase called out desperately for his Pokémon to dodge, but it was too late. A powerful, green-colored beam of energy went racing at the Bird Pokémon. Before it could move, Pidgeot was violently knocked out of the air, crashing in the middle of the battlefield. Chase, crestfallen, thanked his comrade and returned it.

Silver wasn't kidding around when he said he wasn't going to go easy. If he had pulled that strategy back when he and Chase battled the last time, Chase would have lost for sure.

It wasn't time to mess around, so Chase released the Pokémon with the best type resistance to Meganium's attacks. After a brief flash of light, Butterfree took form and flew gracefully in a circle before coming to a stop.

Chase got the first turn. "Use Sleep Powder!"

Butterfree flew over Meganium as it let green spores fall from its wings. Silver told his partner to dodge, but Meganium was starting to nod off from inhaling the powder.

"Use Psychic!" Butterfree's eyes began to glow light blue as an aura of the same color enveloped its foe. The Grass-type was then lifted high into the air as it struggled to stay awake. "Now throw it to the ground!"

Butterfree did just that, and forcefully tossed its adversary downward, kicking up a thick cloud of dust around the stadium.

Meganium walked wobbly out of the haze, only to be met by Butterfree's Silver Wind attack. The Bug-, Flying-type batted its wings faster and faster, making the gust of wind grow stronger. Silvery particles fell from its wings and were picked up by the gale.

The Herb Pokémon was battered by the super effective move, and was pushed all the way to the other side of the field. It shook its head to get the small particles out of its eyes.

"Tackle!"

The Grass-type looked just in time to see Butterfree's head. The Butterfly Pokémon full-body tackled Meganium in the face, knocking it to the floor.

"Meganium!" Silver cried as he ran out onto the battlefield. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his partner regain consciousness. "Get some rest, buddy. You deserve it." He returned Meganium to its Poké Ball, and then stood to look at the victor.

"That was great, Butterfree!" Chase exclaimed.

"Free! Free!" it celebrated.

After he thanked Butterfree and returned it, Silver walked up to him and said, "That was a great match. You've certainly improved."

"Thank you. You're not too shabby yourself, Mr. Gym Leader," Chase smiled.

"Here, this is yours. You've earned it." Silver reached into his left pants pocket and pulled out the Earth Badge. It looked like a small green leaf that was tilted to the side. Chase took it and pinned it onto the inside of his jacket, thus completing his collection of the Kanto Region Gym Badges.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Just then, Silver's PokéGear rang. He excused himself, walked away, and answered. "Hello?"

"Son."

"Oh, hi, Dad," Silver replied jovially.

"Listen, I'll be arriving at the Gym soon. You no longer have to take my place."

"Really?"

"Yes. You can go ahead and leave whenever you want. And don't forget: I want you to find Chase and obtain that Stone from him by any means possible. Understood?"

Silver sighed before responding, "Yes, sir."

"Good." Giovanni hung up. Silver looked at his phone sadly as he hung up as well.

He turned to his friends again and said, "Well, that was my dad. He said I don't have to fill in for him anymore."

"Okay then, why don't you tag along with us for awhile?" Chase asked.

"Yeah," Jason chimed in. "We still have Señor Psychopath to take care of. You never know when he'll attack."

"Yeah. You have a point."

"Why don't we head on up to Pewter together? We could visit the museum there; that's probably the only place Chase and I didn't get to see while we were on our way here. Then we can think about what to do when we fight Milver."

"Sure, sounds like fun."

"I didn't know thwarting evil clones was your idea of fun," Chase quipped.

All three of them laughed. They left the Gym and went to the Pokémon Center to heal Chase and Silver's teams before setting off for Pewter.

****************


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

The three Trainers were on their way towards Pewter City to visit the museum, and Chase was showing Silver his new Pokémon Egg he had bought earlier that week.

"That's awesome," said Silver as he examined the Egg. "I wonder what it'll hatch into?"

"I don't know," replied Chase. "But whatever it is, I hope it hatches in time for the Pokémon League."

"Yeah," Jason chimed in. "Now that you have all eight Badges, you can participate!"

"When does it start?"

"Oh, I heard it isn't for another week. It's a good thing you got your last Badge when you did."

"I'll say. Cut it a little close, didn't I?"

There was silence for a few minutes. Silver hung his head, deep in thought. Eventually, he said, "Do you guys really feel up to fighting Milver with me?"

The other two were surprised at this. "What are you talking about?" asked Jason. "We made a deal, and we're going to follow through with it."

"But, what if you guys get hurt? It'll be my fault."

"No, it won't be. I think we can live with a scratch or two."

"I mean, now that you know what you've gotten yourselves into, I would understand if you're having second thoughts."

"We're going to take on someone who could potentially hurt millions of people. I'm not afraid to risk my life for others."

"Yeah," Chase agreed. "And besides, at least you'll have your friends fighting by your side. I wouldn't want to be up against somebody like that alone."

The redhead paused for a moment. "You guys really think of me as a friend?"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Jason replied. "We've been through a lot together, haven't we? I think that we can trust each other."

Silver silently fell behind as Chase and Jason continued walking ahead. Giovanni's orders rang clear in his mind: "I want you to find Chase and obtain that Stone from him by any means possible."

"Some friend I am," Silver thought.

Later, they reached the Pewter Museum of Science. Once inside, Silver's mood brightened as he began to have a good time looking at the exhibits with Chase and Jason. They stopped at all the displays, making jokes and carrying on. Bones of fossilized Pokémon were put together in many exhibits, like those of Kabutops, Omastar, and Aerodactyl.

When they were finally done looking around, the trio headed back outside. Dark clouds loomed in the distance, the sign of an impending thunderstorm.

There, at the bottom of the large flight of stairs that lead up to the museum, a photographer was taking souvenir pictures for people. He didn't seem worried about the changing weather.

Jason was uncomfortable about having his picture taken, but Chase convinced him and Silver to be in one.

Chase paid the man for a photo, and then he and his friends huddled up in front of the camera. Chase stood in the middle of the group with his arms slung over their shoulders, smiling. Jason was bent over slightly and was holding his cowboy hat up in the air. Silver had his hand on his hip and smiled confidently.

"Say 'cheese'!" the photographer exclaimed before the flash went off.

Shortly after, the man handed Chase three prints, one for each friend to have. "I thought I only paid you enough for one," the boy said in confusion.

"Don't worry, it's on me," the photographer replied.

They thanked him for his kindness. To show his appreciation, Silver left a tip. Then, they decided to head back to the Pokémon Center for the time being. When they arrived, the trio finally got a chance to sit down at a booth by one of the large windowpanes up front.

"So, I think we need a battle plan for when we fight Milver," said Silver with his hands clenched and resting on the table.

"Okay, shoot," Jason responded.

"What I was thinking was to try and separate him from the Red Stone. That way, we would have the advantage."

"But, what if that doesn't work?" Chase queried.

"Then we go to plan B."

"Great! So…what's plan B?"

"I honestly don't know," he replied with a chuckle.

"Here, I have a few ideas," Jason interjected. He began to explain the scenarios he had come up with and the corresponding strategies. After hearing what he had to say, Chase and Silver started batting around ideas of their own.

Having reached a satisfactory conclusion to their brainstorming, Chase stood up from the booth and declared, "I think I'm going to head out for some training."

As he walked towards the door, Jason said, "Don't stay out too long. There's a thunderstorm brewing."

"It's not supposed to hit until later tonight," Chase replied. "I'll be back before then."

"All right."

Chase made his way through the city and out to Route 3. The overcast skies were becoming darker as the sun progressed farther to the west. The daylight would last for a few more hours before the sun completely set.

A flash of lightning illuminated a faraway cloud. Chase saw it over the pine trees that lined the route, but he was not deterred. So, after finding a nice area by the side of the dirt road, he sat down on a large boulder and began to plan out the session.

Chase was still thinking when everything was suddenly lit up by a large strand of lightning, followed by a loud clap of thunder. As the noise faded into the distance, he could see that something was glowing brightly from within his backpack.

He quickly took his backpack off and set it on top of the boulder. Chase opened it and saw that the light was coming from his Pokémon Egg. He took it out, laid the Egg next to his backpack, and stood in awe as he watched it hatch.

The Egg became completely white for a moment before starting to take form as a Pokémon. It appeared to have stubby legs, thick arms, and two prongs that stuck out of its head. When the glowing ceased, Chase could make out that the Pokémon was yellow in color, had black stripes on its sides and arms, and a thunderbolt design on its chest.

"Bee, bee!" the Baby Pokémon cried. It was an Elekid.

Chase was thrilled. Now that Elekid was out and about, he plucked his last empty Poké Ball off his belt and tossed it towards the Electric-type Pokémon.

Elekid noticed the incoming projectile, and with lightning-fast agility, jumped out of the way. The ball landed with a thud as the small, yellow plug-in glared over at Chase.

"You're a feisty one," the Trainer said. He picked up the ball and studied Elekid.

He kept trying, but no matter what, the Electric-type refused to be captured. Chase was now aggravated, and so was Elekid. The Pokémon looked up and saw a bolt of lightning streak across the sky, causing it to run off into the bushes.

"Hey, wait!" Chase cried as he grabbed his backpack and hurriedly followed.

The Elekid was small, but it sure was fast. Chase lost sight of it in the thick brush for a while. He eventually made his way out to a clearing; there was a rock ledge that sloped down at an angle into a small creek at the bottom.

Elekid stood on the ledge and looked up at the clouds that had moved in rapidly.

Lightning shot towards the small Electric-type Pokémon. Elekid deflected it with a Thunderbolt attack and snickered to itself. Chase looked on in wonder as Elekid absorbed the next strike. Perhaps it was just playing a game.

The Baby Pokémon glowed for a moment, acting as if the shock was soothing. It whirled around as the energy dimmed, only a single strand of electricity jumping across its body.

"Uh oh," Chase muttered. "I think it just got a power boost. I need to knock it out—and fast."

He quickly released Charizard. It roared, then fixated its sharp eyes on the small lightning rod.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

It obeyed and let loose a blast of flames. Elekid easily dodged the move by jumping to the side. Before Charizard could launch another one, it was electrocuted with a Thunderbolt attack. The large Fire-, Flying-type was gravely damaged by the huge jolt, and it toppled over, unconscious.

"Charizard!" Chase cried out in dismay.

Elekid smiled devilishly as it started to whirl its arms around, preparing for another attack. Thunder sounded in the air as the forest was lit up around them once again.

"Darn it. This is bad." Chase had to think of a plan. Another energy boost from a lightning strike could very well make this little Pokémon invincible. So, Chase released the rest of his team. "Attack!" he cried.

Everyone launched one of their projectile-type moves, but Elekid dodged some of them and blocked the rest with unparalleled expertise. It then shot Politoed with a powerful Thunderbolt, rushed up to Haunter and punched it square in the face with a ThunderPunch, jumped above Butterfree and hammered it to the ground with the same move, then shocked Pidgeot into submission with another Thunderbolt.

Chase frantically returned his fallen comrades. Now what? He was out of usable Pokémon! Now there wasn't any hope of catching the renegade Elekid.

The Electric-type turned its back to Chase as it faced the ledge again. Chase clenched his fists in frustration. This single Baby Pokémon had completely annihilated his whole team in a matter of seconds. The bright side was that he didn't have to worry about Elekid being weak for the Pokémon League. Too bad it would be difficult to get it in a Poké Ball.

Chase, for the first time in a battle, used his Green Chaser abilities and rose off the ground. Laying his backpack down, he propped his legs up behind him and acted like he was pushing off a wall.

The Trainer sped towards Elekid at a blinding speed as he flew through the air. The Electric-type looked over its shoulder in surprise, but had no time to react. Chase full-body tackled it, cutting off his Levitate ability, and sent Elekid tumbling down the slope in his arms.

Chase quickly came to a stop and staggered to his feet. He flung Elekid high into the air and thrust his hands upward at it, creating a Twister attack around his opponent. The Pokémon was battered greatly by the tornado, but it gracefully landed on its feet when the winds dispersed.

Another flash lit the battlefield as Chase and Elekid took up defensive fighting stances, both of them wearing confident grins.

The two of them lunged forward as a clap of thunder rang out through the forest. Elekid collected electricity into its right hand and tried to ThunderPunch its foe in the stomach. Chase dodged to Elekid's left and grabbed its arm. The Pokémon released a jolt of electricity, making Chase let go. It then jumped back a few inches and followed up with a Thunderbolt.

Chase's eyes widened, and he made an attempt to jump out of the way. He leaped down the long slope, but Elekid continued to attack. Eventually, he was hit. The boy yelled in pain and collapsed on the ground.

The boy panted heavily as he thought to himself, "Man, Trainers really don't know what it's like to be the Pokémon in a battle."

Elekid approached Chase and stood triumphantly over him. The young Pokémon looked down and chuckled. Suddenly, Chase lifted his hand up and launched a Shadow Ball with unbelievable force. Elekid was valiantly pushed through the air by the ball of energy and finally came to a stop when it smashed into a tree, where the Ghost-type move exploded.

"I've got to tell Haunter how to do that," Chase said as he stood up.

The yellow and black Pokémon pushed itself to its feet with a grimace. It threw its arms down in rage, sending sparks bouncing off the ground. Chase readied himself, and then Elekid ran up to him with both fists crackling with electricity.

The Pokémon swung with its left, but Chase evaded by going to the right. Elekid swung its other hand, catching the boy slightly off guard, but he was able to block the attack in his own hand. Surprisingly, the shock didn't hurt that much this time.

Chase grabbed Elekid by the waist and flexed his legs to jump. "Alley oop!" he said as he used Politoed's Bounce. He sprang high up into the air above the tree line. "Going down." They plummeted back to earth. As Chase was about to land, he threw Elekid to the ground. He backed off to examine the extent of the damage.

Raindrops started falling. Elekid was lying face down on the ground, but it began to move again. It pushed itself to its feet, seeming pretty beat up. It bore a look of anger, but a malevolent gleam entered its eyes, and Elekid cracked a smile.

"Bee!" the Electric Pokémon cried out.

Another lightning bolt hit Elekid, and sparks went everywhere. It gathered the energy into its right hand; this ThunderPunch looked lethal enough to kill a human being on contact.

Elekid rushed forward, wound up, and jumped at Chase. Thinking fast, the Chaser turned to the side and countered with a powerful kick. It connected right in Elekid's stomach. Immediately, the sparks in its fist faded away, and the Electric-type fell to the ground.

Now the rain was coming down in sheets. Water flowed over the rocky area, the wind blew wildly, and the creek at the bottom of the slope had become a torrent.

Elekid lied unconscious in the water. Chase's hair was dripping, and his clothes were soaking wet. He stood above his newly hatched Pokémon and held his last remaining Poké Ball in his hand. Gently tossing it at the fallen Elekid, he watched as it went inside.

The Poké Ball wiggled back and forth with the button in the middle glowing red; once…twice…three times, and then came the deep chime that signified the Pokémon was caught.

Smiling, Chase picked up his Poké Ball and pressed the button in the middle to make it shrink back to the size of a marble. He attached it to his belt, grabbed his backpack, and dashed back to Pewter as fast as he could.

Chase burst into the Pokémon Center. Jason and Silver were at a nearby table playing a card game. The look of tension was apparent on both of their faces as they tried to guess what the other was going to do next. Finally, the silence was broken as Silver said, "Got any twos?"

"Go fish," Jason replied. Looking up, he noticed Chase standing in the doorway. "Oh, hey! Look what the rain washed in!"

"Get any training done?" Silver asked after turning around in his seat.

"Yes," the boy replied. "And by the way, my Egg hatched."

"Awesome!" Jason exclaimed. "What kind of Pokémon is it?"

"It's an Elekid." He wasn't going to get into any details.

"That's great! Now come on in and dry off."

"Good idea," Chase smiled.

****************


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46**

Celio was sitting in his office, studying a tape recorder in his hands as he inserted a blank tape. He curiously messed around with the device, having brought it along in his briefcase.

Cyrus's female secretary stuck her head in the door. "Celio, your appointment with Mr. Galactic is coming up soon. If you will follow me, you can wait at my desk."

The computer programmer stood up and nodded. Celio quickly deposited his tape recorder into his pocket for safekeeping and followed the woman to her desk. Once he was there, he pulled up a chair and sat for a little bit.

It wasn't long before Cyrus's voice came over the intercom. "Would you get me some coffee?"

"Yes, sir," she replied. The secretary stood up and left.

Surprisingly, Celio heard Cyrus's voice continue to come over the intercom, saying, "Yes, Operation Cyclops is progressing just as planned." This startled Celio. The intercom had been carelessly left on.

Listening for a moment, the programmer frantically pulled out his tape recorder, looked around to see if anyone was watching, and started to record. Celio pushed his glasses farther up on his nose nervously as he continued to listen.

It had been a good few minutes by the time the secretary returned, and she knocked on Cyrus's door. "Come in," the blue-haired man said. The woman entered with the coffee.

Celio had already turned the recorder off and had stuck it back in his pocket, having made sure that there wasn't any sign he had been listening. The secretary returned to her desk and sat down.

After a bit of waiting, it was finally Celio's turn to go into Cyrus's office. While talking with his boss, he tried to hide the fact that he was shaken. After Cyrus had said his piece, Celio walked back to his own office and sat down. "This is heavy," he muttered. "What should I do now?"

Celio dawned his jacket and walked outside of the Galactic Corporation Building to get some fresh air during his break. The cement steps were soaked and puddles dotted the streets. A cool breeze accompanied the light gray overcast skies. "We've sure been getting a lot of storms lately," Celio thought as he looked up at the clouds. While his attention was drawn to the sky, someone called out his name. He looked around and saw his good friend Bill. "What are you doing here?" Celio exclaimed happily.

"I thought I should pay you a visit," replied Bill. His demeanor turned somber as he checked his surroundings. "I got your mail. I was astonished at all your information. This is serious stuff."

"Here, I know a place where we can sit and talk. Come with me."

The two friends made their way down the streets of Veilstone City and arrived at a small eatery called the "Torchic Bar and Grill."

Once inside, Bill and Celio sat at a table near the back, away from the few customers that were there. The place was quiet with dim light shining in from the large front windows and a glow coming off the television mounted on the wall near the bar.

A waitress came and asked them about what they wanted. Both Bill and Celio asked for Aprijuice, and the girl walked towards the bar.

"Okay, mind filling me in a little?" asked Bill.

Celio explained what had been going on as of late. He paused, however, when the waitress came back with their drinks. After she left, Celio finished.

"This is unbelievable," Bill said, fuming.

"Oh, but here's the icing on the cake: I have a tape with vital information on it."

"What kind of information?"

Celio looked over his shoulders just to be sure no one was eavesdropping. "I've got Cyrus spilling the beans about one of their schemes. Here, listen."

He played the tape with the volume turned low. As Bill listened, he wore a disgusted expression. By the end of the recording, he was furious.

"Outrageous!" Bill exclaimed.

"Try to be quiet. I don't want anyone finding out about this."

"Should've thought about that when you decided to come here," Bill quipped.

Celio chuckled. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"So, what should we do?"

"I'm not quite sure." Celio thought for a moment. "Cyrus has called a press conference for today. Maybe we could expose him there."

"Sounds like a plan. What should we do?"

"Well, I've got an idea."

Later that afternoon, Cyrus was on his way into an auditorium inside the Galactic Corporation Building. He fidgeted as he straightened his necktie and went backstage to prepare for the press conference.

He looked through the curtains at the seats. Reporters and officials were already filing in one by one. Mr. Saturn walked up behind his boss and tapped him on the shoulder. Cyrus whirled around in shock.

"Oh, Saturn, you startled me," he said in relief. "Don't do that."

"I apologize, sir. Whenever you are ready, you may start the conference."

"Is the helicopter warmed up and ready to go? I want to return to the base after this."

"Yes, sir."

Meanwhile, Celio and Bill were entering the building. They walked down a hall that eventually branched off to the left. Celio turned down that hall while Bill continued forward.

The young man pushed a strand of his blond hair out of his face as he briskly walked toward the doors leading into the auditorium. He walked down the aisle and found a seat in one of the front rows. Soon, the press conference started as Cyrus walked out onto the stage.

Mr. Galactic put on a sincere smile and stood behind a podium with a microphone on it. The reporters took picture after picture of the CEO.

Cyrus held his hand up to signal everyone to quiet down. He cleared his throat and said, "I'd like to welcome you all today. As you may already know, the Pokémon Storage System has been hacked. This brings some concern for our privacy and our Pokémon. That is why changes will be made to the system that will ensure this type of incident will not happen again. The service will remain free; you will have a member's card with an ID number and a password only you will know. Run your card through a scanner at any Pokémon Center to deposit or withdraw your Pokémon."

Soon, Cyrus started taking questions from the audience. Eventually, out of all the hands that were raised, Cyrus chose one in the third row. The person stood up so that everyone could see him. He straightened his glasses and looked Mr. Galactic in the eyes.

"What is known about the hacker?" asked Celio.

"N-not that much right now," Cyrus stuttered upon seeing his employee. "But we will be investigating further."

"Could Team Galactic have had something to do with it?"

"We don't have any evidence to support that claim. Next person."

"Hold on, I have one more question: how much money do you stand to gain from this?"

Cyrus turned away and said, "That's it. Security! Take him away!"

Two guards started towards Celio. The computer programmer stood with a wry smile on his face as Cyrus's voice started to play over the intercom.

"It's actually very simple," the speakers blared. "We used a backdoor to get into the Pokémon Storage System and made it look like someone else was trying to hack into it. With everyone worried about their Pokémon, they should be willing to accept the changes we want.

"We'll say that the service will remain free, but once they sign up for an account to get an ID card, there will be a monthly fee. However, if their payment is seven days past due, all rights to their Pokémon in the Storage System are transferred to the service provider."

The reporters started jotting down what they had just heard while others mumbled to themselves in astonishment. Cyrus had guilt written all over his face as he stuttered into the microphone in an attempt to explain away the situation.

The crowd became furious and shouted at Cyrus. The blue-haired man stumbled backwards away from the podium as the audience advanced forward. Cyrus's security guards were able to hold back the angry mob long enough for him to slip backstage and make his escape.

During the chaos in the auditorium, Celio hurriedly walked through the doors, pleased that his plan had worked.

"Sir!" Saturn exclaimed in surprise as Cyrus nearly plowed him down in a hallway. "What happened?"

Cyrus replied, "I was ambushed. We need to leave right now."

The two men sprinted down the white corridor. Just outside the back exit was the helicopter pad. The turbojet, with its side door open, was ready to go.

When Mr. Galactic and his right hand man burst out into the daylight, reporters were already there. Without acknowledging them, the two blue-haired men rushed to the aircraft. Photos were taken of them lifting off as the helicopter quickly disappeared into the western sky.

Meanwhile, in front of the building, Celio was walking down the stone steps, suitcase in hand. Bill suddenly approached him from behind.

"I finally caught up to you!" Bill said as he fell instep with his friend.

In a hushed tone, Celio said, "How did you manage to play the tape over the intercom? Wasn't anyone in the control room?"

"Well, after splitting up," Bill whispered, "I got to the door of the control room when a guard came down the hall, so I ducked around a corner. He went inside and told the two workers there that they were needed. So, after they left, I slipped in right as Cyrus called for questions. The tape was ready to be played when you asked about the money. While it was playing, I erased the surveillance footage for that hour and disabled the cameras so I could leave. Afterwards, I grabbed the tape and left. It was close, but I managed it."

"You, my friend, are amazing."

Just then, Cyrus's helicopter flew from behind the building and off into the sunset towards Mt. Coronet.

"Looks like we won't be seeing the likes of him for awhile," Celio remarked.

"You did it, pal."

"No, _we_ did it. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Thank you," Bill smiled. "So, what do you think you're going to do now?"

"I'm planning on going back to Kanto. I have a feeling I don't work for Galactic Corporation anymore. By the way, how many Gym Badges do you have so far?"

"I'm only missing one, then I can enter the Pokémon League."

"May I come along with you? I haven't seen you battle in a long time."

****************


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

The next day, Chase, Jason, and Silver were hanging around the benches outside of the Pewter City Pokémon Center. Jason had let out his Ampharos and it was playfully running around with Silver's Magneton.

"It fascinates me how Pokémon can become friends with each other so quickly," said Jason.

"Yeah," replied Chase. "Those two act like they've known each other for ages."

"Hey, Chase. We've never seen your Elekid. Could we, please?"

"Um, I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Oh, come on," Silver chimed in. "Let us see."

"Okay, if you insist."

Chase took a Poké Ball off of his belt and enlarged it. He had the top flip open while it was still in his hand, releasing a strand of white light that hit the ground and took form as Elekid.

The small Electric-type looked around in surprise at its new surroundings. Then its gaze fell on Jason's Ampharos.

The sheep noticed that Elekid was staring at it and nervously skidded to a stop. Ampharos approached the newcomer warily, but after examining it for a moment, extended its hand in friendship.

Elekid smiled evilly as it reached out to shake hands. After a few seconds, it let loose a current of electricity that seemed to give Jason's Pokémon quite a jolt.

Ampharos exclaimed its name in pain, and then attempted to slug Elekid in the face. Jason got in-between the two and held his infuriated partner back by the waist.

"Hold on there, cowboy," he said to Ampharos. "Don't let that Pokémon get to you. It was just playing around, that's all."

From over Jason's shoulder, Ampharos could see Elekid stick its tongue out. This angered it more, and the Light Pokémon released a burst of electricity, shocking its Trainer.

"Jason!" Silver exclaimed in alarm.

"I'm all right," he answered with a groan, letting go of his Pokémon.

Ampharos lunged forward and tackled Elekid. There, they began to scuffle about, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Return!" Chase and Jason exclaimed in unison.

After placing their red and white spheres back onto their belts, the older Trainer said, "That went well."

"You've got quiet a bundle of energy on your hands, Chase," Silver observed.

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe what a hassle it was getting that thing into its Poké Ball the first time."

Silver chuckled. "Well, you'll get it trained sooner or later." He looked up towards the east and saw Mt. Moon in the distance, looming over the forested area of Route 3. "I think I'm going to take a walk."

Jason replied, "Okay, Silver. We'll meet you here later."

With that, the boy returned Magneton and strolled off with his hands in his jacket pockets. He made his way down the deserted street to the country road heading towards the mountain.

The temperature had dropped because of the rain from the night before, and dark clouds still hung overhead as if building for another thunderstorm. Silver's red hair waved gently in the breeze as he pulled his collar up around his neck.

About half a mile out of the city, he noticed strange, dim lights flashing from Mt. Moon. They were coming from the crater at the summit, so he couldn't tell what the source was. Nonetheless, Silver had a pretty good idea about what it could be.

The redheaded boy rushed back to town to inform Chase and Jason about what he had seen. They were still outside of the Pokémon Center, sitting on the benches. The two Trainers expressed curiosity when they heard the news.

"What do you think it could be?" Jason asked.

"Well, I have a feeling that it's Milver," Silver responded. "I think he's up to something on top of the mountain."

"It might be a trap. What if he's planning to ambush us and take both of the Stones?"

"I don't know. But, we have to go look. He could be strong enough to carry out his plan without them."

Silver, Chase, and Jason rushed off into Route 3. After they got to the place where Silver had seen the lights, they took one last look at the mountain's summit as they went underneath the trees.

The dirt road twisted and turned through the woods until they reached the foot of Mt. Moon. There was an opening there that lead into a labyrinth of passageways; they could see the top of the mountain again, but the lights had mysteriously stopped.

An unsettling feeling came over the group. They scanned the area, but no one noticed the dark figure standing in the shadows.

Silver turned around and saw two menacing eyes staring at him. "Look!" he cried to his friends. Out from the darkness stepped Milver, wearing a smug grin on his face. "So it _was_ you!"

"Hello, Silver. I see you brought your friends. How quaint."

"Whatever it is you're doing, we're here to stop you!" Jason declared.

Milver laughed softly. "Go to the summit and see if you can."

The lanky boy rose into the air and floated unhurriedly to the peak, leaving Silver grimacing as he watched.

Chase released his Charizard while Jason likewise released his Salamence. He and Silver hopped on the Dragon-type Pokémon while Chase climbed onto Charizard's back. Then, they flew after Milver.

The trio flew up over the wall of the crater. Peering down, they could see there was grass, a few bushes, and a couple of trees growing in it. They all came in for a landing when Milver suddenly disappeared. They returned their Pokémon and looked around cautiously.

Hovering high above Chase, Silver, and Jason was Milver, looking down on them with his arms crossed. Over him were the darkening storm clouds; they seemed so close that you could reach out and touch them.

"I'm glad we're all here," Milver said as he descended. He took the Red Stone from out of his pocket. It had a strange, lighter glow to it than usual. "Well, come and get me!" Silver and Chase hesitated and looked at each other. With a nod, they both began their attack.

The clone smiled and narrowed his eyes. He watched Chase as he reeled back to shoot a Flamethrower. As soon as the fire left his hand, Milver caught the attack with his psychic powers and redirected it at Silver.

The Blue Chaser skillfully put up a barrier of energy to protect himself. When the flames had dissipated, he dismissed his blue shield and shot a blast of energy at his opponent. Milver hit the attack with the back of his hand, sending it flying off in another direction.

The psychic rose into the air again before either Chase or Silver could get to him. Thinking fast, Silver made a makeshift staircase out of large, square panels of energy and climbed up after his clone.

Milver flew in front of Silver so fast he seemed to have teleported, almost making the other redhead fall. He held out his hand and shot a blast of psychic energy at pointblank range. Silver only had a split second to react. He made another shield that protected him from the blast, but the barrier itself was destroyed.

Silver clenched his right hand into a fist and clobbered Milver in the face, sending him reeling. The skinny boy held his face in his hands and grunted angrily.

Chase flew up behind the enemy, but Milver knew he was there and did a spin kick right into the Green Chaser's stomach. Chase gasped for air as the mighty psychic started to constrict his neck. Silver attempted to free his friend and shot a square panel into the back of Milver's head.

The clone turned his attention back to Silver, letting Chase float gently back to the ground, catching his breath.

Milver began to furiously shoot balls of red-colored psychic energy using his Stone. You could tell he was getting frustrated by how poorly aimed his attacks were. Silver moved about nimbly as he evaded each blast.

Milver, knowing he was getting nowhere, turned and flew towards Jason. The Trainer tried to sidestep around him, but was grabbed by the shirt. Jason quickly slugged Milver in the jaw, and then kneed him in the stomach.

Jason backed off as Chase began to dash forward for a follow-up attack, but Milver shot a burst of energy at his feet. The Pokémon Trainer jumped just in time to avoid it and started flying again. Chase came in on top, hoping to draw Milver's attention away from Silver, who was just about to tackle him from behind.

But the psychic was one step ahead of them. He moved to the side and knelt down just as Silver lunged at his legs, dodging Chase's flying tackle at the same time. During this instant, Milver grabbed the Blue Stone from out of Silver's pocket with his powers, kicked him away, and caught Chase in his psychic grip.

After straightening up, Milver unzipped Chase's backpack with his mind and pulled the Green Stone out. He tossed Chase aside and grabbed the Stone in his right hand with the Blue Stone in his left. That was when Silver and Chase noticed their Stones had the same strange hue as Milver's Red Stone.

"I suppose you're wondering why your Power Stones are behaving differently. I might as well explain, seeing as you're about to die," Milver said arrogantly. "Moon Stones give off an unusual energy that help certain Pokémon evolve. The Stones react to this energy, magnifying their power. The more Moon Stones around, the greater the magnification."

"That's why he wanted to come here," Silver thought. "This mountain is virtually one big Moon Stone!"

"Enjoy the last few moments of your lives!" Milver rose higher into the air, and the Stones began to glow brighter as he began extracting their energy.

"I don't think so!" Chase exclaimed. He pushed off the ground and rocketed through the air. He built up a Shadow Ball in his hands, not needing the Green Stone in his possession to use his powers. Mewthree smiled in amusement and prepared to knock the boy aside, but he whirled around when he noticed a Salamence was about to strike with its powerful claws. He held his arms out in front of him and rendered Jason's Salamence immobile with his psychic energy.

Chase took advantage of this and thrust the Shadow Ball right into Milver's back, causing him to wail in pain. The attack was super effective, and his concentration on Salamence was broken. The Dragon-, Flying-type Pokémon then whacked Milver with a powerful blow that sent him hurtling to the ground.

The Blue and Green Stones were dropped and bounced around in the grass for a moment. Chase scooped them up as Silver trapped Milver inside a dome of blue energy.

Thunder boomed and small raindrops began to fall. Jason and his Salamence stood at the ready as Chase landed next to Silver. Milver glared up at the Green and Blue Chasers, baring his teeth.

"How dare you!" Milver's irises turned light blue, and with one motion, he obliterated Silver's small prison and flew high above the crater. "Parish!" he shrieked.

Milver held his hand up towards the sky. All the built up power he absorbed from the Stones shot out and formed into three strands of energy that pierced through the clouds. The dancing shafts of light were red, blue, and green, while light blue psychic energy formed an outline around them.

Mewthree began to laugh madly and stared down at his adversaries. The three friends watched in fright, too overcome with shock to move.

Milver slowly rose higher in the air, about to release a deadly pulse of energy that could very well end all life on the planet. But, just as he cleared the high walls of the crater, a lightning bolt struck him from out of nowhere. Thunder crashed as the brilliant flash lit up the mountaintop. Silver and his friends threw their arms up in front of their faces to protect their eyes from the bright light.

When Silver, Jason, and Chase looked back up at where Milver had been, he was gone. Immediately, Silver's gaze fell upon a singed, motionless body, and he knew it was over. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

Silver wiped the sweat from his brow, turned around and, with a sigh, smiled with relief. "It's finished," he said. The other two smiled in reply, and Jason fanned himself with his hat.

Chase returned the Blue Stone to Silver. The redhead looked at it for a moment and remembered the order he received from his father. His smile quickly vanished.

"Chase," Silver said, a troubled tone in his voice.

"Yeah?"

Silver, with his hands clenched, slowly walked towards where Milver fell. He picked up the Red Stone and walked back, saying, "Let me take the Green Stone."

"What?"

"I… I think I need to take the Stones somewhere safe—you know, to make sure that someone like Milver never gets their hands on them again."

"Don't you think it would be better to keep them separated? That way, it would be harder for someone to bring them together."

"You need to realize that you're out in the open. The Stones should be secured in a safe location."

"I'm just…not sure." Silver looked on in silence as Chase mulled the idea over in his head. "Well, I trust you," came his answer. "You're my friend."

This made it sting even more. What would have been his reaction if Chase knew Silver was just going to turn around and give the Stones to his father, the leader of Team Rocket?

Somberly, Silver took the Green Stone and put it in his jacket pocket. The three of them gave Milver a burial, and then flew down to the foot of the mountain. The rain was gradually getting harder, so Jason, Chase, and Silver rushed back to Pewter where they took refuge in the Pokémon Center.

Later, Chase and Jason decided that they were going to stay in Pewter for a while, and Silver explained that he was going to leave the next day. His friends asked him to try and meet them at the Pokémon League once it had started.

****************


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48**

It was ten o'clock the next morning, and Silver was on his way to Team Rocket's headquarters. He was heading west from Pewter, staying off Routes 22 and 28 to avoid being seen.

Silver had only gotten a mile outside of the city's limits when he started to have second thoughts. The Green Stone rested in his pocket, but he couldn't help but feel he shouldn't have asked for it in the first place.

"What's more important?" Silver asked himself.

It certainly was a dilemma. After searching for so long to find his father, Silver would have done anything to gain Giovanni's approval. But now, he felt what he was doing was wrong.

And what was Giovanni's true goal? Surely, he wasn't collecting the Power Stones simply for the satisfaction of it. He must have had some incentive to gather them all.

It then occurred to Silver that maybe his father was just using him to find the Stones, so that he wouldn't have to lift a finger. All the time that they had spent together the past few months—could it all have just been a ruse to make Silver think that Giovanni cared about him?

He took the Green Stone out of his pocket and looked at it thoughtfully, resolving to return it to its rightful owner. But before he could, the sound of rotors attracted his attention. The leaves on the trees started to rustle, and soon, the branches began to sway violently as a black helicopter came down for a landing nearby.

One of the doors opened and out stepped Giovanni, his clothes flapping in the wind. The Pokémon Trainer was stunned. Without resisting, Silver was led by the arm into the aircraft. Then, it took to the air and was on its way to headquarters, all Silver's hope of heading back to Pewter City lost.

When they arrived, Giovanni had Silver follow him into his office.

"Excellent job on your mission," the Rocket leader said from behind his desk. "Did you get what I requested?"

Silver glumly took the Green and Red Power Stones from his pocket and placed them on the desk. Giovanni glanced at them, then up at his son's disheartened appearance.

"What's the matter?" Giovanni asked mockingly. "You seem upset."

"No, it's nothing," Silver replied.

The boy's father turned his stern glare back to the Stones, and he scooped them up in his hands. He turned to look at his portrait of a Persian and said, "Go find Professor Nelson. Tell him we're leaving for the construction site and that he is in charge until we get back. Meet me in the hanger afterward."

Silver left the room and tracked down Nelson. He relayed the message and then met his father in the hanger. They left in Giovanni's personal airship and headed northeast.

Giovanni and his son arrived at a huge archway in the middle of nowhere, and there were six large, box-like containers placed around it. A Team Rocket executive was waiting for them there. He was standing outside the aircraft and greeted Giovanni as he walked down the ramp with Silver.

"Sir, everything is complete and in working order," said the executive.

"Excellent. Gather the other workers and return to headquarters."

"Yes, sir!"

As the others piled into helicopters of their own and flew back to the base, Giovanni showed Silver a control panel at the foot of the west side of the arch. There were four holes in the middle, three on top with one underneath. There were two large orbs fitted into small compartments with glass coverings, one pink, the other blue, and a large chunk of Moon Stone in the middle.

Giovanni stared at the small monitors on the board before him. Silver didn't know what the information on them meant, but he wondered what the holes were for. Then he looked up at the clouds. They were a light gray and stretched on for miles.

Giovanni reached into his pockets and pulled out the Green Stone, the Yellow Stone, and the Red Stone. He placed the Green Stone in the middle of the top row. Then, he fitted the Yellow Stone into the hole on the right. Finally, he set the Red Stone into the indention below the Green.

"Silver," Giovanni said, finally breaking the silence. "Place the Blue Stone into the remaining indention."

Reluctantly, Silver took the Blue Stone from out of his pocket. He looked at it glow in his hand, and then looked at the other three Stones glow in response to it. Giovanni stared coldly at Silver, waiting for him to do as he was told.

Images of Chase and Jason flashed through the boy's mind. Then, he remembered what Yosocky had said about what would happen if all the Stones were brought together. He froze at the revelation. How could he have forgotten?

Silver's hesitation angered Giovanni, and he ordered, "Set it in the panel!"

The Blue Chaser closed his eyes as he set his Stone into the opening, bracing himself. Moments passed, but nothing happened. Silver opened one eye and looked at the control panel to see that the Stones had stopped glowing.

"Was that so hard?" Giovanni asked. He pushed a lever amid the controls upward. An unsettling humming could be heard with it steadily getting louder. The readings on the monitors started to escalate, saying that they were drawing energy from the six containers around the arch. Silver looked up to see small flashes of energy spark at strategic areas up and down the structure.

"What's going on?" Silver asked.

"You might want to stand back when the lasers fire."

"Lasers?!"

Just then, the flashing points on the arch shot beams of energy and concentrated them in the middle. Silver inched his way backwards, never letting his wide-eyed gaze leave the odd lightshow.

Over in Pewter City, Chase and Jason were hanging around inside the Pokémon Center. Chase had been goofing around with Politoed, Haunter, and Butterfree in the Trainer's lounge while Jason read one of the magazines from the rack.

Chase, Politoed, and Butterfree laughed at Haunter's silly antics. It would take its cheeks and stretch its head in every which way, making humorous faces.

After one more good chuckle, the Pokémon expressed they wanted to go back in their Poké Balls. Their Trainer returned them and stood up from the floor as he attached the small marble-sized spheres back onto his belt. He saw Jason put the magazine down on the table, and sat on the couch.

Out of curiosity, Chase asked, "Hey, what do you think you're going to do after the Pokémon League?"

"Me? Well, I haven't really thought about it much. I'd like to go home, but I feel I need to get the Lustrous Orb back from Team Rocket. It was my fault they got their hands on it in the first place."

"Don't worry; I'll be there to help you all the way."

"Thanks, Chase. That means a lot."

"You're welcome. And Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you feel like having a battle?"

"Sure!"

The two Trainers went outside and found a good place for the match. They stood opposite from each other and sent out their Pokémon.

"I choose you! Pidgeot!"

Chase's Normal-, Flying-type took form and flew into the air. Jason smiled and tossed his own Poké Ball upwards as he called, "Come on out, Torterra!"

Jason let Chase have the first turn. "Use Wing Attack!" the boy called.

Pidgeot flew toward its enemy with wings shining. Just as it was about to hit, Jason shouted, "Stone Edge!"

Rocks were lifted up into the air around Torterra, and the Bird Pokémon flew right into them. Pidgeot fell to the ground in front of its opponent and chirped weakly. Chase's Pokémon looked up at Torterra and saw that it was about to send the floating rocks tumbling down. Pidgeot quickly took off as some of them collided with the ground.

Torterra followed its opponent with a keen eye, and then sent another one of its stones flying. The bird didn't see the attack coming and was hit in its side.

After falling for a few seconds, Pidgeot regained its composure. At Chase's command, it shot an Air Slash right at Torterra. The severe winds caused by the impact kicked up a cloud of dirt, completely shrouding Jason's Pokémon so it could not be seen. Pidgeot came to rest on the ground and breathed heavily as it stared into the dark haze.

Suddenly, a rock was sent hurtling out of the dust and hit Pidgeot with great accuracy. The Flying-type Pokémon was knocked out and fell to the ground.

As the dust cleared, Torterra could be seen standing firm with a couple of stones floating around it. The Grass-, Ground-type dropped them and turned to Jason, smiling.

"I'm proud of you, Torterra! Nice work!" its Trainer cheered.

"You did a great job, Pidgeot," said Chase as he returned his Pokémon. "Have a nice rest."

"Good game!" Jason shouted jovially.

"That was exciting! Your Torterra's really strong!"

"Thanks! Your Pidgeot is pretty strong, too!"

Just then, Chase's PokéGear rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered, "Hello?"

"Chase?" came an elderly voice.

"Hi, Yosocky! What's up?"

"Have you seen the strange thunderstorm to the north?"

Chase shifted his gaze and saw ominous black clouds on the horizon with lightning periodically flashing about.

"I've been hearing thunder, but this is the first time I've taken a good look at the clouds," Chase replied.

"I've never seen clouds like those before. Tell me, do you still have your Power Stone?"

"Well, no. I gave it to Silver for safekeeping."

"Is he with you?"

"No."

"Then it's possible those storm clouds indicate the coming together of the Stones like in the legend…"

"What?" Chase gasped.

Curious about what was being said, Jason interjected, "What is he saying?"

"Listen carefully," said Yosocky. "I need you to go and investigate what's happening. Maybe I'm just overreacting, but it's worth looking into."

"Okay, Jason and I are on it. Talk to you later."

"Good luck."

The young Trainer hung up and stuck his phone back into his pocket. He turned to Jason wearing a grim expression. "We have to go," he said.

"Go where? What's going on?"

"Yosocky told me those dark clouds over there could mean that all the Power Stones have been gathered together. If you remember, the legend of Arceus says that if they are, the other half of Arceus can come back to this dimension. Yosocky wants us to investigate and see if that's the case."

"Then let's get our Pokémon healed up in the Center. It's best to come prepared."

Jason returned Torterra, and then the two Trainers went back inside the red-roofed building. They had their Pokémon healed, thanked Nurse Joy, and left once again.

Outside, they released Charizard and Salamence. Chase hopped on his Fire-, Flying-type's back and Jason got on his Dragon Pokémon.

"Are you ready?" asked Jason.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Chase responded. With that, they took off to the north.

Meanwhile, at the archway, Silver looked on, flabbergasted at what was happening. The peaceful gray clouds he had been standing under had changed to worrying black thunderheads that seemed like billowing smoke. The winds had picked up slightly, and thunder rumbled as if warning about what was to come.

The two orbs on the control panel glowed brightly as a small purple circle was formed inside the arch. Giovanni looked on silently, plotting his next move.

"W-what's happening?" Silver asked his father fearfully.

"It's all coming together," Giovanni replied. "The remaining energy of the Power Stones is combining with the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs' properties of time and space to rip a hole between the dimensions. As I had feared, the Stones' powers are far too diminished from overuse to open a portal on their own. That's why the Orbs were so essential to my plan; they contain the same powers as Dialga and Palkia, the Pokémon who represent time and space. I also integrated a large quantity of Moon Stone, which helps magnify the Power Stones' energy output.

"But, those alone would still not have been enough to complete the corridor. To fill the rest of the energy gap, I collected two legendary trios. Legendary Pokémon give off great amounts of energy that can be used along with the Stones."

Silver looked at the containers close by. "You mean…the legendary Pokémon you captured are in those boxes? And your just using them like batteries?!"

Giovanni didn't reply, he only stood there and admired his handiwork.

Chase and Jason could now see the giant archway. Both of them were confused about the strange structure when their gazes fell on their redheaded friend down below. Chase and Jason told their Pokémon to descend, and they landed.

"Chase! Jason!" Silver cried out in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"We were sent by Yosocky to investigate what was going on," Chase explained. "I thought you were going to take the Power Stones somewhere safe!"

"I'm sorry. I never wanted any of this to happen."

"Ah, its Silver's so-called 'friends,'" scoffed Giovanni.

"Who's this?" Jason questioned.

"This is my father," replied Silver.

"You mean, you took the Green Stone and Red Stone so he could have all four?" Chase asked in disgust.

"No! I was coming back to return your Stone to you when he found me. There wasn't anything I could do."

"Well, then, more importantly, how do we stop this thing?" asked Jason.

Silver shook his head in despair. He looked over at the control panel and saw the Power Stones. This gave him an idea: the portal couldn't open if all the Stones weren't there!

The boy in the black coat burst forward, running past Giovanni and snatching the Red Stone from the machine. He then dashed back to his friends before his father could retaliate. But Giovanni did the contrary and stood unfazed, the portal continuing to form.

"What? Why didn't it stop?" Silver exclaimed in confusion.

Giovanni chuckled. "Have you ever wondered why all the other Power Stones choose someone to use their strength, while the Red Stone does not? It's because Arceus didn't make it.

"Most don't know the true origins of this peculiar Stone, but long ago, there was a group of people who envied those who were called Chasers. They wanted to use the Power Stones for their own designs, but time after time, none of them were chosen. They decided to create their own Power Stone, one that could be used by any and all. Through ceremonies centered on one of the Power Stones, they were able to endow some of the energy from the real Stone into the fake one. And thus, the Red Stone came into existence."

"So it's a fake?"

"Yes. I was surprised when you laid it on my desk. I wasn't expecting you to actually find the Red Stone, let alone bring it back to me. But, I suppose it was a good thing I included an extra hole just incase I did obtain it." Giovanni turned and looked up at the small purple circle that floated in the middle of the archway.

"Wait, why does he need this arch to open a portal?" Chased asked. "Yosocky said you only needed the Stones."

"What my dad said was he needed the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs to help create the portal, since they have the same traits as Dialga and Palkia. Then, he used six Legendary Pokémon's energy since the Power Stones aren't as strong as they used to be. He also used a large chunk of Moon Stone to magnify what power the Stones had left."

"So, he's ripping a hole through time and space?" Jason exclaimed.

"That's right."

"We need to stop it!" Chase said firmly.

"But how?" Silver questioned. "There isn't anything we can do to stop it."

"I beg to differ."

Chase shot a Shadow Ball at the control panel, causing it to explode. The Stones and Orbs flew into the air and landed on the ground as Giovanni was knocked over. Jason ran and scooped up the Lustrous and Adamant Orbs and put them in his backpack while Silver recovered the rest of the Stones.

Giovanni scowled. "What are you doing?!" he barked. The leader of Team Rocket got to his feet angrily, but calmed down after taking a deep breath. "No matter. The portal has already become self-sustaining."

Behind Giovanni, the gateway shone brightly and grew larger; through it, a silhouette of a Pokémon could be seen with glowing red eyes.

****************


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49**

Lightning flashed, followed by the crashing of thunder. The portal still lingered in the archway, despite Chase's attempt to stop it. He, Jason, and Silver looked on anxiously, ready to spring into action.

Silver glanced around the area to see if there was anything more they could do. He spied the six containers placed about and said, "We need to free the legendary Pokémon. That might be why the portal's still opening."

"I'm on it!" Jason exclaimed as he released all six of his Pokémon.

Both Chase and Silver sent their Pokémon out, as well. They split up and started attacking some of the containers. Before Giovanni could react, Jason and his Pokémon had already blown a hole in the side of one of the large metal crates. Out came Articuno; it flapped its wings and took to the air. Jason smiled as he watched its feathers shine brilliantly.

Then, Chase blew another container open, and Entei was freed. It glanced around and stood at the ready to defend itself.

Entei knew its fellow Legendary Beasts were in trouble, so it shot a powerful blast of fire at one of the other containers. The metal exterior burst open, releasing Raikou.

Soon, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune were all freed. Jason, Silver, and Chase were relieved that they had not been injured.

Six powerful legendary Pokémon now surrounded Team Rocket's leader, glaring at him. Giovanni only had a few Pokémon of his own with him; the situation seemed very bleak. But he had no other choice than to fight. He released his Persian, Rhydon, and Golem as he commanded, "Persian, use Night Slash! Rhydon, Stone Edge! Golem, Double Edge!"

Persian bounded up to Entei with claws covered in dark energy. Its swing was deft, but the legendary Fire-type dodged. Entei continued to duck and weave as Persian let loose a frustrated flurry of Night Slashes.

Rhydon sent jagged rocks hurtling at the Legendary Birds. Moltres and Articuno flew out of the way, but Zapdos was hit. Articuno retaliated with an Ice Beam that froze the Ground-type. Zapdos was then able regain its balance and rose back into the air to rejoin the others.

Golem was persistently trying to tackle Raikou with its Double Edge. Without thinking, the electric cat attempted to fend off its assailant with a Thunderbolt, but unfortunately, Golem was half Ground-type, so the attack had no affect.

To aid its comrade, Suicune sent an Aurora Beam in Golem's direction. It connected and sent the Megaton Pokémon skidding across the ground. Raikou nodded at Suicune to say thank you.

When Golem came to a stop, it got to its feet and used Hyper Beam. Its speedy recovery took Suicune by surprise, and the blast was so quick that the Water-type had no time to sidestep around it. The other legendary Pokémon watched in horror as Suicune was battered and sent flying, then landed on its side with a thud.

Golem smiled contently, but Suicune pushed itself up off the ground and bounded up to the Rock-type. In an instant, the gap between the two had been closed, and Golem was slammed to the ground.

As the heavy Pokémon started to get to its feet again, Raikou stood right on top of it and forced it back down with an Extrasensory attack, holding it in place. Then, thrusting its head down, Raikou blasted the struggling Golem with a pulse of psychic energy so powerful that it embedded the Megaton Pokémon in the ground, knocking it out.

Entei still evaded Persian's moves, but it was starting to tire out. The Volcano Pokémon was boxed in the face, giving the cat just enough time to jump on Entei's back.

Following Suicune's example, Raikou came running to the rescue. It jumped and snatched Persian from off of Entei. Once the two had landed, Raikou shot the Normal-type with its Extrasensory. Persian was hurt, and it jerked away to separate itself from the Thunder Pokémon.

Moltres used Sky Attack; a light shone brightly around its body as it flew toward Persian and smashed into it, knocking Giovanni's last Pokémon unconscious.

Chase and his friends were astounded by how quickly the battle was ended. Entei and the others had worked together stupendously.

Giovanni returned his Persian, Rhydon, and Golem, then placed their Poké Balls back in his pocket. The sharply dressed man felt that he was surely done for as all the legendary Pokémon started to close in.

Suddenly, a foot protruded from the portal. Entei, Raikou, and Suicune dashed off in fright. Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno followed suit and flew away into the distance. Then, the foot was withdrawn back through, and the being it belonged to waited for the portal to reach full size.

The portal expanded rapidly; it completely filled the inside of the arch, finally reaching completion. Darkness was the only thing that could be seen on the other side for a moment. A flash of lightning illuminated the legendary Pokémon Arceus floating there, staring back at Chase with its glowing red eyes.

"Arceus," Chased awed.

However, Arceus's color was different from how it was usually portrayed. It had the regular gray-colored body and dark gray underbelly, but the ring around its midsection was a drab olive green along with its feet, and the four jewels mounted on the ring were a bright purple, as were the circles around its eyes. The Pokémon's irises were actually gray, but as previously seen, they could glow an ominously bright red.

"Arceus?" Silver echoed in confusion.

"I've never seen a depiction of Arceus with that coloration before," Jason stated.

"That is this Arceus's natural coloring," said Giovanni. "Arceus could once be all of the eighteen types at the same time, long ago. It used this ability to show its dominance over all other Pokémon and people. Because of this, Arceus was banished to the dark abyss it now calls home, and its eighteen types were divided up into Plates except for the Normal-type. That was infused with Arceus and became its only true form.

"Arceus was then split in two. Since the Normal-type had already been claimed, the other half took on the mysterious type that experts represent with three question marks, hence Arceus's alternate coloring when compared to its Normal-type counterpart."

"That makes a lot of sense," said Jason. "Historians claim that out of all eighteen types, there are only sixteen plates that belong to Arceus; there is not a Plate for the Normal-type or the unknown type."

"How do you know all of this?" Silver asked his father.

"It all came with hard work," Giovanni replied. "Many sleepless nights spent researching have shaped my beliefs."

Arceus let out an otherworldly cry. This startled the three Pokémon Trainers, but Giovanni whirled around in excitement at the sound. Then, Arceus began to emerge from the portal. Our three heroes looked on, ready for the fight of a lifetime.

****************


	50. Chapter 50

_**Chapter 50**_

Arceus seemed to be in pain as it slowly poked its head through the portal. It was possible that Arceus's body couldn't handle all the different wavelengths of energy from the legendary trios. Despite this, the "?-type" continued to power its way through.

"Silver!" Giovanni called. "You and your friends move aside or suffer the consequences!"

"But, Dad! What is this going to accomplish?" Silver cried.

"Arceus will do my bidding, and all shall submit to my power! I am in control now!"

Arceus began to laugh. "How amusing!" it scoffed. "You believe you can command me?"

"What?" Giovanni gasped, dumbfounded.

The ?-type pulled one of its front legs through and said, "Such an inferior being as you could never hold any authority over me." Arceus shot a Hyper Beam at Giovanni. He was able to avoid being hit and moved a safe distance away.

Without warning, Chase jumped into the air and zoomed up to Arceus's face. He let loose a Shadow Ball that exploded upon impact. The Pokémon cried out in pain.

Arceus slammed its head into Chase, sending him flying. "Green Chaser, you shall be destroyed for your insolence!"

Silver and the others leaped into action. Jason's Pokémon started to shoot long-range attacks with Chase and Silver's Pokémon, while the Blue Chaser began launching blasts of energy from his hands to aid in the effort.

Arceus roared in anguish once again. "Judgment!" it yelled as it made a glowing ball above its head. It shot the attack high into the air, where the ball burst open and sent strands of energy hurtling back to earth. The Pokémon ran in all directions to avoid being hit before the firework-like ribbons collided with the ground, causing massive explosions everywhere. Jason had been protected by one of Silver's blue domes.

The Alpha Pokémon struggled; passage through the portal was difficult, and Arceus seemed to be stuck in the middle. It would be hard to fight without the ability to evade and to only use projectile moves.

After seeing that his friends and Pokémon were all right, Chase flew up to Arceus once again and used Butterfree's Silver Wind. A powerful gust blew from behind the Trainer with silvery particles being towed along with it. The attack scuffed Arceus up, and the shiny dust got into its eyes.

Chase quickly flew down to Charizard and told it to use Flamethrower. Then, they both shot at Arceus with the Fire-type attack, burning its chest. Next, Haunter hovered up to Arceus's face while it was still incapacitated and licked it.

Arceus opened its eyes, startling the ghost. Its irises glowed with red light, and then it slammed Haunter with its head, knocking the Gas Pokémon out.

Chase caught Haunter in his arms and returned it. Silver and Jason started attacking again as he looked to his partner and said, "Let's go, Charizard!"

The Green Chaser took to the air with Charizard. Both Trainer and Pokémon shot Flamethrowers at Arceus as they flew around it, adding to the damage. The ?-type began flailing around madly, struggling to get through the portal.

Giovanni stood on the sidelines, completely absorbed in his thoughts. Why didn't Arceus obey him? He was always told that whomever summoned it would be its master. But now, he knew better. It was all just a ploy to get some fool to gather the Power Stones and help Arceus's other half escape from its dark prison. Giovanni's plan was to use Arceus to rule the world, but now he would be responsible for its destruction.

Just then, Arceus used Judgment again and sent streamers of deadly energy raining down. Silver noticed that some were going to fall on Giovanni, who was oblivious to the oncoming attack.

The Blue Chaser rushed over to his father and put up a shield just as the strands were about to hit. They exploded with brutal force, but Giovanni was protected. The explosions did do a number on Silver, however. It took a lot of power to sustain a shield through such abuse.

"Silver!" Giovanni exclaimed in surprise. "You saved me!"

"Of course, Dad," Silver panted. "Now, get somewhere safe. We'll handle this." Giovanni thanked him and left. Then, the Blue Chaser rejoined the battle.

Jason looked on at his friends fighting with their powers and thought, "I wish I could be more help. It seems Chase and Silver are doing all the fighting." He took a deep breath and turned to the group of Pokémon. "Okay, men! Attention! About face! Fire!"

A huge cluster of attacks sped forward and hit Arceus, almost knocking it back into the other dimension. The Pokémon forced its way forward again, slowly trying to work its way through.

Chase observed the opponent closely. Traveling through the portal seemed to hurt Arceus, but being caught in the middle of it for so long must have been excruciating. That's why it was so hard for it to move. Knowing that, Chase figured he and his friends had the upper hand.

Sixteen plates appeared around Arceus and hovered in the air. One came down and touched Arceus, changing its color to gray and blue just as Houndoom and Charizard used their Flamethrowers.

"Watch out!" Jason warned. "It's a Water-type now!"

Chase flew up to Silver and Jason, telling them about how Arceus was being weakened by being in the portal. The soldier asked, "Silver, is there anything you can do to slow him down?"

"I'll do my best."

The redhead grabbed the Water-type's legs with blue energy, stopping any movement forward. In frustration, Arceus sent another Judgment attack flying into the air. The ball exploded and sent strands of light falling down on top of Silver, but he was able to make another shield in the nick of time.

This was just the beginning, and Arceus would not go down without a fight. Even though it wasn't making any progress forward, it was not taking any steps backward. It was up to Chase, Jason, and Silver to defeat the other half of Arceus and keep it from exacting its revenge, lest the whole world would be plunged into darkness.

****************


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51**

Arceus stood in the middle of the portal while Silver set up a blue-colored barrier to hold it back. The Pokémon forcefully rammed into the wall, shattering it. The Blue Chaser winced in response.

Arceus began to charge up a Hyper Beam. Chase, Jason, and Silver didn't have time to command their Pokémon to launch an attack as a countermeasure, and Arceus released its move. Everyone dodged it, but they were blown around by the massive gust of wind that was kicked up.

Chase slammed against the ground, but got to his feet in time to see the Plates floating around Other Arceus dim slightly. Surprisingly, the Splash Plate fell off of Arceus, causing the Pokémon to revert back to its default type. Then, some of the other Plates fell to the ground, as well.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chase and Jason made their way towards Arceus and grabbed the fallen tablets as Silver shielded them. Retreating back to their friend and Pokémon, Jason said, "Arceus can't live if it loses all of its Plates."

"It must be getting weak to have lost some of them," Chase replied. "We just need to get it back through that hole."

"Hey, look!" Silver shouted. "The portal is shrinking!"

Indeed, the portal started to shrink a little bit. The energy that it was made out of started to dissolve. Chase and his friends needed to get Arceus back through before it closed.

The Alpha Pokémon began to power its way out. Everyone shot an attack to halt its movements, but they did nothing.

Silver, Jason, and the Pokémon continued to bombard Arceus with moves while Chase stood back and observed how futile the effort was. "These attacks aren't strong enough," he thought. "What could be more powerful?"

Chase realized and exclaimed, "Elekid's electricity!" If he could harness that power, maybe it would be the key to defeating Arceus.

The Green Chaser held out his hand and concentrated, trying his best to channel Elekid's power into it. Every time it felt like the electricity would appear in his palm, the move would seemingly fall out of reach. There seemed to be a wide gap separating Chase from his Elekid. That was because he had not bonded with it yet. Even so, there was still a chance Elekid's moves could be used; Chase just had to keep trying.

"Hey, this isn't the time to be daydreaming, Chase!" Jason called.

"I'm trying to use my Elekid's attacks, but they're not easy to access!" Chase replied.

"What good would a Baby Pokémon's moves do in a fight like this?"

"I haven't told you yet, but my Elekid was strong enough to knock out all of my other Pokémon in one shot!"

"Are you serious? Then stop talking to me and use those moves!"

Chase continued to focus as Arceus kept taking the brunt of everyone else's attacks. This was the large Pokémon's breaking point. It came to a complete stop, its eyes dimming to their regular gray color, now resting.

Silver told the Pokémon to hold their fire as he looked on in confusion. After studying Arceus for a moment, he summoned a huge wall in front of it and started pushing, but the ?-type would not budge.

The Green Chaser started to doubt if he could use his Elekid's attacks. Without a strong bond, there wasn't anything bridging the gap in-between Pokémon and Trainer. Time after time, the Baby Pokémon's electricity would not appear. "This isn't the time to give up," Chase thought. And so he kept at it, hoping it would give him and his friends the edge they needed.

Arceus's eyes began to glow red again as it pushed back against Silver's wall. The Blue Chaser put all his effort into holding the foe back, but Arceus finally broke through the blue-colored blockade.

Next, it used Earth Power, making splits in the ground appear underneath Chase, Jason, and Silver's Pokémon. Then, the rocks jolted upward, catapulting Houndoom and everyone else in every which direction.

"Chase!" Jason shouted. "We could use some help!"

By now, the Green Chaser was able to muster small sparks in his hand, but each one would shock him. He was getting closer, but Chase had to learn how to use Elekid's attacks at full power and without hurting himself.

Pidgeot flew up to Arceus and started circling around it. This motion created a super-powered Twister. After the wind died down, it followed up with a Wing Attack, and then hastily made its retreat.

Jason's Metagross used its levitating ability and slammed into Arceus's side with a Meteor Mash, then the Steel-, Psychic-type returned to its comrades like Pidgeot had done.

Arceus spied Chase standing idle, separate from the others and not paying attention. It then shot its Hyper Beam at him. The boy glanced up to see the beam of energy speeding towards him and did not have any time to react.

But just as the attack was about to land, Charizard threw itself in front of Arceus's enormous blast.

"Charizard!" Chase cried out. The Fire-type stood firmly with its wings draped around itself like a shield as the Hyper Beam dissipated, and panted as it looked back at its friend to see if he was okay.

Silver and Jason smiled, but this touching moment was short lived. Arceus used another Earth Power, sending Charizard and Chase sailing into the air. Both got their bearings and landed, though the damage Charizard had received was apparent.

Before Chase could launch a counter attack, Jason called, "Chase! Hold on!" The Green Chaser approached him and asked what he wanted. "Let your Haunter out of its Poké Ball."

Chase did as Jason said. Haunter lied on the ground and looked up at the two Trainers weakly. "What are you planning to do?" the ghost's Trainer asked.

"I have a Revive. Here, this is for you, buddy." The Ghost-, Poison-type ate the diamond-shaped medicine and smiled. "There, it should be its usual self and raring to go in a matter of minutes. And, I don't know if this'll help, but use this Hyper Potion on Charizard's wounds."

"Thank you, Jason."

As Chase applied the medicine to his friend, both Trainers watched Silver defend the others with a large shield, then Arceus stopped attacking.

"This is your chance," Jason told Chase.

The boy nodded and concentrated on Elekid's attacks again. To draw Arceus's attention away, Jason hopped on Salamence's back and had it scorch the Alpha Pokémon with Flamethrower.

Sparks continued to go off in Chase's hand, this time not shocking him. It was progress, but it still wasn't the full attack. In one last attempt fueled by his determination, electricity erupted from his palm. Chase was overcome with excitement. Then, he built the energy up in his fist, the crackling growing louder and louder.

Jason was just coming back around from his diversion when Chase tore through the group of Silver and the Pokémon. He jumped and punched Other Arceus right in the forehead, the sound of thunder crashing.

Arceus cried in pain. It flailed around for a moment with Chase floating a safe distance away. But then, it paused and began to laugh softly to itself. It built up a ball of energy for its Judgment and shot it right at Chase. It exploded in a dazzling shower of lights, making it hard to see what happened.

Silver and Jason looked on in despair, but then saw their friend riding on Pidgeot's back, the Bird Pokémon having flown Chase away just in time. Pidgeot graciously lowered its Trainer to the ground; Chase smiled in appreciation and thanked it.

Silver tried to shoot Arceus again with his blasts of blue energy, but was countered with Earth Power. After being flung into the air and landing on his back, he murmured, "Darn it, I should have seen that coming!"

Salamence took to the air with Jason on its back, and along with Chase and Charizard, attacked with triple Flamethrowers. The intense heat made Arceus reel back quickly.

"Look out!" Silver warned. Chase, Charizard, Salamence, and Jason had only a second to get out of the way as a bomb hurtled past and hit Other Arceus.

"What was that?!" Chase exclaimed.

The bomb had come from one of the cannons on Giovanni's large aircraft. Silver's father then launched another bomb, which did considerable damage.

"Fool!" the ?-type yelled in anger. It shot a Hyper Beam at the airship, making it explode.

"No! Dad!" the Blue Chaser cried in horror.

****************


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Silver rushed up to Giovanni's ruined airship. With his father trapped inside, the Blue Chaser started sifting through the scrap metal using blasts of energy.

Seconds seemed like hours as Silver blew his way into the wreckage and through the billowing smoke, knowing his father had only a few precious moments to live. Finally, he reached Giovanni in the mangled cockpit.

Silver helped his father to stand and walked him outside. When they were away from the fiery debris, Giovanni sat down and coughed as the redhead asked, "Dad, are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine now. Thanks to you, Silver." Giovanni stopped coughing and took a deep breath, then continued, "I dreaded that was the end… Amongst those flames, I realized how blind I've been to what is truly important. I'm sorry I was never there for you; I've been a terrible father. I would understand if you never forgave me."

"Of course I forgive you," Silver replied. Giovanni smiled, but then a sharp pain cut through his side. He winced and held it with his hand. "Father! Are you injured?"

"Silver, I'm afraid this is as far as I go."

"What are you saying? That's crazy talk."

"You need to leave me here and stop that monstrosity."

"I can't leave you! What if—"

"Silver, listen to me. You have to go. Don't pay any attention to me. Just, do me this favor: tell your mother that I am sorry."

"Tell her yourself. We'll both go home after this is over."

Silver had not seen his mother since first starting his journey. But after finding his father, he felt that they could finally be a family again. He wasn't going to let that slip away now.

Chase and Jason were having a hard time fighting against Arceus. Despite the weakened state it was in, the legendary Pokémon seemed to be able to take hits forever. They needed something more powerful to attack with, so the pressure was on for Chase to use his Elekid's super-powered Electric-type attacks.

Jason ducked for cover as a chunk of soil flew over his head. "I better hit the dirt or the dirt's going to hit me!" he thought.

Everyone's Pokémon were becoming exhausted. Nevertheless, they continued to fight because they understood just how important this battle was.

Arceus broke the ground with another Earth Power, sending even more bits and pieces of earth flying into the air, along with a couple of Silver's Pokémon.

"Give up!" Other Arceus yelled. "Your resistance is futile!"

Chase stood with his hand out in front of him, only sparks emanating from it this time. He hoped and prayed that somehow he could buy some time to allow himself to fully grasp the mechanics of these moves.

It was then that Jason spied a gold light with a rainbow trailing behind it to the southeast. "Hey, what's that?" he shouted.

Chase looked back to see. When the object got close enough, it turned out to be a Ho-Oh. On its back rode a kindly old man with spiky gray hair.

"Is that who I think it is?" asked Chase. "Yes, it is! It's Yosocky!"

As it approached, Ho-Oh's gold shimmer dimmed so that its feathers showed their natural colors; it was comprised of mostly red feathers around its face and down its back, with green feathers on the outer tips of its wings, a white underbelly, and yellow tail feathers that plumed out in all directions.

Yosocky readied himself and called, "Ho-Oh! Use Sacred Fire!"

The Rainbow Pokémon built up a powerful flame in its beak, and then released it with the utmost of force, sending the inferno hurtling towards Arceus at an unparalleled speed. The legendary Pokémon on the ground could not move to dodge the attack, and was brought to its knees in a burst of sweltering heat, subdued for the time being.

Silver and Giovanni glanced over to see what was happening when they heard Arceus cry out in anguish. "Where did _that_ come from?!" Silver exclaimed.

"I see a new player has joined the fray," Giovanni remarked as he saw Yosocky atop his Ho-Oh. He looked up at his son and said, "Silver, go to your friends. They need you."

"But, Dad, I—"

"Don't worry about me, Silver. I just want you to know that I love you."

Silver, choked up, replied, "I love you, too, Dad."

"Hurry, you must stop Arceus before it frees itself from the portal. It knows the move ExtremeSpeed, so it would most likely use that to get away."

Silver acknowledged this and rose to his feet, forcing his tears back. Then, he returned to Chase and Jason to aid in the battle.

Arceus rose to its feet with small fires still burning on its body. In retaliation, it shot jagged rocks into the air by using Earth Power as Ho-Oh was coming in for a landing. The Fire-, Flying-type Pokémon jerked around to avoid being hit, throwing Yosocky from off its back. Without hesitation, Jason flew up on Salamence's back and caught him, and then slowly came back down.

"Thank you," said Yosocky as he set his feet down on the ground.

"You're welcome," replied Jason.

"Yosocky!" Chase shouted as he ran up to him. Then, he looked up at Ho-Oh in wonder.

The older gentleman smiled and said, "I see you've taken an interest in my partner."

"Is this yours?" Jason asked from atop Salamence.

"Why, of course. We've been together for quite some time."

"All right," Silver spoke up. "We can chat later. There's an Arceus right over there that looks really angry."

"Silver's right," Yosocky agreed. "We don't have any time to spare. Chase, we need to get Other Arceus back through the portal."

"That's what we've been trying to do, but it's too strong. None of our attacks seem to phase him."

"You don't have anything else at your disposal?"

"Well, I just caught an Elekid that was strong enough to knock out all of my Pokémon, but it's hard to use its attacks. I was able to use its ThunderPunch before, but I'm not sure if I can do it again."

"Ah, yes, you haven't formed a bond with it yet. Still, you need to keep trying. It sounds like the power that little fellow holds is enough to finish the job."

"Then I'll keep at it."

"In the meantime," Jason interjected, "we'll distract Arceus."

Chase looked down at the Plates lying on the ground he and Jason had gathered from before. There, the Splash Plate was resting among them. It was then that the Green Chaser had an idea.

"Jason!" Chase called. Picking up the Splash Plate, he tossed it to his friend and said, "I want you to throw that at Arceus."

"What?" Jason exclaimed in response. "But that will just change its type!"

"Exactly. Just wait for me to give the signal."

"Roger!"

Suddenly, Arceus began struggling again. It dug its front feet into the ground and proceeded to pull more than half of its body through. The large, faded green-colored ring around its stomach was now on this side of the two dimensions. The Alpha Pokémon chuckled in delight until it strangely came to a complete halt. It looked back through the portal in confusion to see its original half holding its hind legs.

"You!" Other Arceus cried in derision.

Origin Arceus was gray in color with a dark gray underbelly and yellow feet. The ring around its stomach was yellow with four green jewels in it. There were also green circles around its eyes, and it had naturally red irises.

As it restrained Other Arceus from advancing any farther, Origin Arceus shouted, "Chasers! Regrettably, this is all I can do to aid you! Now, hurry! I cannot hold my other half back for long!"

Chase put all of his concentration into building up electrical energy as Jason, Silver, and Yosocky continued to fire off attacks to divert the delayed Arceus's attention. Small sparks crackled in the Green Chaser's hand, Elekid's full power still eluding his grasp.

The other half of Arceus roared in a fit of rage as it broke the ground with Earth Power after Earth Power. Soon, it had tired itself out to the point where it had no energy left to use the Ground-type attack.

Chase, Jason, and Silver lined their Pokémon up and were ready to give them their commands as Jason hovered in the air on his Salamence. Arceus glared on and began to charge up a powerful Hyper Beam. The three friends told their teams to attack at full power and to merge their shots together. Arceus's move was fired with tremendous speed and force, clashing with the other concentrated attack. The two were matched in strength and fought back and forth for supremacy in a dazzling display of light, energy, fire, water, and wind.

At the same time, the Green Chaser tried to summon his Pokémon's electricity again. The force of the colliding moves in front of him was blowing his hair back. Sparks started to jump around his body as he poured all of his strength into it. From here, he let faith carry him the rest of the way. Chase yelled as a great amount of Elekid's energy was forced into the palms of his hands.

The two energy beams seemed to have been locked in a stalemate. At this rate, the Pokémon would tire out and Arceus would gain the upper hand. In a decisive move, Yosocky instructed his Ho-Oh to fly around the blasts and use Sacred Fire. It obeyed its Trainer and hit Arceus with another intense ball of flame, making the target lose its concentration. The ?-type was then battered by the opposing attack. But despite taking such a colossal amount of damage, it stood firm.

"Now, Jason!" Chase shouted.

The soldier directed his Dragon Pokémon to approach Other Arceus while he concealed the Plate. Arceus turned its head to look at Salamence, but was met with a Flamethrower to the face. As it staggered, Jason chucked the Splash Plate. It touched the Pokémon's body and was absorbed, changing Other Arceus into a Water-type once again.

When Arceus opened its eyes, it saw the change and exclaimed, "What is this?!"

Chase joined all the Pokémon on the front line and shot two large and powerful Thunderbolt attacks, one from each hand. Arceus screamed in agony. The lightning flowed around its body for ten excruciating seconds. The legendary Pokémon couldn't handle such an intense super effective hit and collapsed on the ground, barely conscious.

Silver quickly set up another large barrier and helped to successfully push Other Arceus back into its own dimension. The portal grew smaller and smaller; through it, Origin Arceus said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Arceus," Chase responded.

"You were all courageous and stood up to my other half, and for that, I am very grateful. Goodbye."

Everyone helped Arceus gather the Plates that its other half had taken from it in their last battle, and then it turned away.

The portal had shrunk considerably, and Chase floated into the air to use Butterfree's Psychic. His irises turned light blue and he enveloped the archway with energy. Then, thrusting his arms together and clenching his fists, the metal structure was crushed into a ball. It fell to the ground just as the gateway had finally closed.

"We did it," the Green Chaser sighed in relief as he landed.

"You all did splendidly," Yosocky complemented the three heroes and their Pokémon.

"We couldn't have done it without you, Yosocky," answered Jason. "It's a good thing you came when you did."

"Yeah," Silver agreed.

"Why, thank you," the old man smiled.

"Man, am I sore," said the redhead.

"Arceus really showed some self-restraint back there," Chase remarked.

"I agree," laughed Jason.

Silver brought out the Power Stones and gave Chase his. Then, the Trainers looked to Yosocky as Silver held out the Red Stone.

"We found out that this is a fake," Silver explained.

"What?" Yosocky replied in confusion.

"Arceus didn't make it; the part about the Red Stone in the legend was a misconception," Chase added.

Silver continued, "It was made by a group of people who were jealous of the Chasers. That's why anyone can use it."

"Yeah, and we even fought someone who was going to use it to hurt innocent people," said Jason.

Yosocky asked Silver to hand him the Red Stone. Gripping it in his hand, he said, "Then such an atrocity should be destroyed." He dropped it, and when the gem had stopped moving, Yosocky built up a ball of blue energy in his hand. The former Blue Chaser then let loose a blast that shattered the Red Stone into tiny fragments, and they soon lost their red hue.

The others stared in awe for a moment, and then Silver gave Yosocky the Yellow Stone, saying, "I'm going to give this to you. Maybe you can find its rightful owner."

Taking it, Yosocky explained, "It won't matter if I have it or not. The right person must prove themselves worthy for the Yellow Stone to choose them."

Yosocky didn't feel it was the right time to say anything, but the Yellow Stone glowed brighter than usual, its energy responding to something.

"So, it's finally over," Giovanni observed, limping up to them a few of yards away.

"Dad!" Silver exclaimed as he ran to Giovanni's side. "Are you all right?"

"I think so. My injuries aren't as bad as I had thought they were." There was a short pause before he continued, "I apologize—to all of you. After seeing all the mindless destruction I caused, I truly regret doing these selfish deeds."

Then, the Trainers turned to their Pokémon. They were all exhausted. Even Ho-Oh was tired. None of the Flying-types were strong enough to fly everyone back to town, so this meant the group had to walk back. But they didn't mind; between Chase, Jason, and Silver, there were enough camping supplies and sustenance to get them to Pewter. So, everyone returned their Pokémon to let them rest.

"Dad, please come back with us," Silver urged.

"The pleasure would be all mine."

Silver smiled, then his face was hit with a warm beam of sunlight peeking through the clouds. As he looked to the horizon, he saw the dark skies start to clear to reveal a dazzling sun resting high above Pewter City in the distance. He stared at the sunbeams coming down through the clouds for a moment, then turned and said, "Let's go home."

On their journey, Silver assisted his father with help from the others. They walked through peaceful woods and by babbling brooks. Sometimes, they would stop to take a break and just admire the beautiful scenery.

You could tell they were all having a fun time; everyone was telling jokes and laughing. Surprisingly, Giovanni even contributed to the laughs.

After resting, Giovanni was able to walk on his own. When they stopped by a pond, a small Pidgey let him hold it, and then it rejoined its flock. It was an amazing experience to see them take off over the water's surface and disappear above the trees.

They came to a rocky slope, and Chase, Jason, and Silver made it a game to get down to the bottom as Yosocky and Giovanni watched.

"Don't fall!" Yosocky cautioned.

It was late, and the sun had gone down by the time they made it back to Pewter. They all rented rooms at the Pokémon Center for the night. Yosocky, Silver, Chase, and Jason had all gone to bed. Giovanni went out to the Trainer's lounge and saw that the news was on the television. He watched for only a minute when something caught his attention.

An anchorwoman was relaying a story, explaining, "The CEO of Galactic Corporation was seen fleeing from a press conference just two days ago. A news reporter shot this footage of Cyrus Galactic rushing to his private helicopter before taking off." The video of Cyrus was played, and then she continued, "We do not have all the details on why he left in such a rush yet, but it had something to do with the new security precautions concerning the Pokémon Storage System."

Giovanni couldn't help but grin. "Cyrus, your arrogance was bound to tear you down one day," he declared softly.

He walked back to Silver's room holding a letter in his hands. He propped it up on his son's nightstand and left silently.

In the morning, Silver woke to see his father was gone; only the note remained. The boy frantically opened the envelope, Giovanni's letter reading: "Dear Silver, thank you again for helping me see what a fool I've been. You are an intelligent young man, and you have wonderful friends.

"I'm leaving on such short notice because I need time to recuperate, and the corporate committee will be looking for me.

"I'm putting three executives in charge of Team Rocket until I return. I have included envelopes for each of them. One of the three in particular has shown what it takes to run things. Please deliver these letters as soon as you can. Also, I'm leaving the Gym to you. What happens now is your decision.

"Love, Dad."

Silver rushed out of his room and looked about the hallway, not believing his father had actually left. But after a few moments, the truth sunk in.

The Pokémon Trainer approached his friends in the lobby and told them what had happened. The three others tried to encourage him, but it didn't seem to help.

They all had breakfast at the Pokémon Center. Silver was very quiet during the meal. Again, Chase tried to cheer him up. Silver smiled weakly but didn't reply.

Yosocky had packed and was ready to leave. "I'll be on my way soon," he announced.

"Do you have to go so soon?" Chase asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. I've had a little too much excitement lately." The younger Trainers nodded to that, but Chase was curious and asked about how Yosocky caught his Ho-Oh.

"It was on one of my first adventures as a Chaser," the elder Blue Chaser explained. "My fellow Chasers and I were working together to stop a man who sought to capture a Ho-Oh and use it to do wrong. I had been separated from my friends, and this man had severely hurt the Ho-Oh he had his eyes on. It seemed I couldn't do anything because this man's Pokémon outnumbered me. But, just in the nick of time, my friends came to the rescue and helped fend them off. As they were distracting the man, I used my Apricorn to catch Ho-Oh and carry it away to safety.

"I tended to its wounds as best I could, and when it was strong enough, I offered to release it. Ho-Oh refused and wished to stay with me. We've been best friends ever since."

"What a cool story," Jason commented.

"I'll say," Chase agreed.

"Chase, you're off to the Pokémon League, correct?" asked Yosocky.

"Yes, I am."

"Good luck to you, then. Make sure to do your best!"

"Thank you! I will!"

"All right. Goodbye, everyone. And thank you all for the sacrifices you've made."

****************


	53. Chapter 53

_Chapter 53_

Since the Pokémon League was going to be starting soon, Chase and his friends had traveled to Viridian City. Silver wanted to check up on the Gym while they were there since it had been left in his hands.

When the trio approached the Viridian Gym, they were surprised to see two people standing outside its front doors.

"Looks like there are some challengers," Silver observed.

Turns out the two were Bill and Celio. When they noticed Chase, Jason, and Silver coming towards them, they waved.

"Hey, guys!" Bill greeted them.

"Hi there, Bill," said Jason. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Celio. He's a computer programmer."

"Well, it's nice to meet you! I'm Jason."

"And I'm Silver."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Celio replied as he shook Jason and Silver's hands. "Hi, Chase!"

"Hello!"

"So, how has your journey been going since I last saw you?"

"I was able to get all eight Badges. But, more importantly, how have you been?"

"Oh, I've gotten interested in politics lately. Other than that, not much."

"Okay. And Bill, how goes your Badge quest?"

"Well, I still need one more. If you haven't already guessed, I'm missing the Earth Badge. But it doesn't look like I'll be getting it today, though; the Gym Leader seems to have left."

"You're in luck," Silver responded. "The Gym Leader's right here."

"Where?"

"You're looking at him."

"You?"

"Yeah. My father left the duty to me."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Celio exclaimed.

"All right. Silver, I challenge you to a Gym battle!"

Everyone filed into the Gym. It looked completely untouched from a few days ago. Silver went to his area while Bill stood on the end near the entrance. Celio, Jason, and Chase stood on the sidelines and waited in anticipation.

Silver sent out Meganium, and Bill released his Alakazam. The redheaded Gym Leader gave Bill the first turn.

"Use Substitute!" the computer programmer called.

Alakazam suddenly disappeared. In its place was a large stuffed doll that looked like a dinosaur. Silver and Meganium raised an eyebrow at this.

"Meganium, use Razor Leaf!"

The Grass-type shot a stream of sharp leaves at the stuffed animal. Upon being hit, it bounced up and down, having taken the damage for Alakazam.

Suddenly, Bill's Pokémon reappeared. "Use Calm Mind!" the Trainer instructed. Alakazam closed its eyes and relaxed. By doing this, its Special Attack and Special Defense were raised. Then, as quickly as it had reappeared, Alakazam disappeared, leaving the doll in its place once again.

"Use Razor Leaf again!" Silver shouted.

Meganium's leaves hit the Substitute, but like before, it took the damage for Alakazam.

"Calm Mind once more!" exclaimed Bill as his Pokémon became visible again. The Psychic-type closed its eyes and raised its Special Attack and Special Defense for a second time, then vanished behind the veil of its Substitute.

"Meganium! Use Body Slam!"

The Herb Pokémon ran forward and tackled the inanimate object, sending it bouncing across the floor. In a puff of smoke, it disappeared, and Alakazam returned.

Without missing a beat, Bill commanded, "Use Psychic!"

Alakazam's irises glowed light blue, then Meganium was thrown against a wall with tremendous force. The Gym Leader's Pokémon fell to the ground and lied there with swirls in its eyes.

Silver thanked and returned his incapacitated friend. Then, he plucked another Poké Ball from his belt, knowing exactly which Pokémon to send out next.

Silver's Weavile took form on the battlefield. Bill, knowing he was at a disadvantage, returned his Alakazam and switched to his Flareon. Because he did this, Silver got the first turn.

"Use Night Slash!"

Weavile bounded towards its opponent and swiped it with claws glowing of dark energy. Flareon jerked back and yelped, but then retaliated and used Flamethrower. Silver's Dark-, Ice-type tried to jump out of the way, but its left hand was caught in the fire. Weavile retreated a good distance away and held its burnt hand with the other.

"Weavile, use Brick Break!" Silver commanded firmly.

The Sharp Claw Pokémon's right hand glowed with white light this time, and it ran up to Bill's Fire-type again.

"Use Protect!" Bill cried as Weavile thrust its arm down upon Flareon. A dome of green energy appeared around it, shielding the Flame Pokémon from the blow.

The Dark-type leaped back to Silver's side of the field before its opponent could sear its other hand. The Protect faded away, and Weavile flanked to the left. It hopped off the ground and executed a downward blow with Brick Break. Flareon split in two, and then the copies split again, eventually surrounding Weavile in a circle; the Flareon it attacked had disappeared.

Bill's Pokémon had used Double Team. The Ice-type looked around, bewildered. Before it could differentiate the real Flareon from all the fakes, Bill commanded with a grin, "Flareon, use Dig!"

One of the Fire-types hurriedly burrowed into the ground. Weavile ran up to the hole and peered down into it, only seeing darkness. Silver's Pokémon then turned around to see Flareon jump out of another hole. The Flame Pokémon smacked its adversary in the head, and Weavile fell on its back, unconscious.

Silver once again returned his fallen comrade as he thanked it for doing such a great job. Then, he released his own Alakazam.

Bill decided to keep Flareon in the battle for now and called to it, "Use Dig!"

The Fire-type obeyed and dug its way into the earth again. Silver's Psychic-type closed its eyes and listened. By the time Flareon had come out of the ground to attack, Alakazam was already using Psychic; it grabbed Bill's Pokémon in midair and held it there.

"Now!" exclaimed Silver.

Alakazam moved its hand down, slamming Flareon into the ground. When the dust settled, Bill looked sadly at his unconscious partner lying motionlessly with swirls in its eyes.

Bill returned Flareon, thanking it for doing its best. Next, he picked another Poké Ball off of his belt and released a Laprus. The large Water-, Ice-type Pokémon was blue in color with a gray shell on its back and a long neck.

"Alakazam! Use Psychic!"

The Psi Pokémon began to execute its move, but Bill instructed Laprus to use Ice Beam. It launched a light blue-colored ray of energy at Alakazam, who held out its hand to block the attack. It hit and encased the Pokémon's whole arm in ice.

"Water Pulse!" Bill commanded. Laprus opened its mouth and made a ball of water, then sent it flying at Alakazam, landing another hit.

"Energy Ball!" Silver shouted anxiously.

Alakazam made a ball of green energy float in front of its one good hand. Next, the sphere was shot at Laprus. The Transport Pokémon could not move fast enough to dodge the incoming attack. Alakazam's Energy Ball exploded upon impact; green light illuminated the stadium for a moment, then they saw that Laprus had been knocked out.

Bill thanked his Pokémon, returned it, and sent out his Alakazam. When Bill called for an attack, Silver was ready. As soon as Bill's Alakazam used Substitute, the green dinosaur appeared to shield its user from any attacks.

"Energy Ball!"

Silver's Alakazam launched another green sphere towards the doll. When it exploded, the Substitute was flung across the ground. When it came to a rest, Bill's Psychic-type appeared and used Calm Mind, then disappeared again.

Silver told his Pokémon to use Energy Ball one more time. The force of the attack was enough to make the Substitute go up in a puff of white smoke, returning the foe Alakazam to the battle.

"Signal Beam!" cried Bill. His Pokémon shot a multicolored shaft of light from its spoons at the Gym Leader's Alakazam.

"Hold it with Psychic!" Silver countered.

The Signal Beam was stopped and held just a few feet in front of Alakazam. Light blue energy outlined it, the Psi Pokémon's irises glowing the same color. Bill's Alakazam started to increase the power of the blast, putting more and more pressure on its foe's mental prowess.

Silver's Pokémon tried its best to hold back the attack, but it wasn't strong enough, and the Signal Beam broke free of its grasp. Alakazam was hit in the chest and fell on its back, swirls in its eyes.

The young Gym Leader returned his Pokémon after thanking it and placed its Poké Ball back on his belt.

"Congratulations, Bill!" Silver shouted happily.

"Thank you!" he responded.

Silver entered the door behind him and came back a minute later holding a green, leaf-shaped Badge. He met the victor in the middle of the ring and handed it to him.

"That was a great battle. It is my pleasure to award you the Earth Badge."

"Thank you. I had a lot of fun."

"You pulled off some pretty impressive strategies. Would you mind teaching some of them to me one day?"

Bill smiled. "Not at all."

"All right!" said Chase. "Great match!"

"Yeah, it was so suspenseful!" added Jason.

"Bill! I can't believe how good you've become!" Celio commented.

"Oh, c'mon. I'm not _that_ good," Bill chuckled.

The group walked out of the Gym with Silver locking the door behind them. Then, they headed towards the Pokémon Center to heal Silver's and Bill's Pokémon, and to get some rest themselves.

After a while, Silver stood up from the chair he was sitting in and made sure he had everything. Chase looked on in confusion and asked, "Where are you going?"

"My father requested I do something for him in the letter he left," the redhead explained, "so I'd better be going."

"What about the Pokémon League?"

"I promise I'll meet you all there. Now, I'm not going to be around to tend to the Gym, so I need someone to do it for me. There was a person who was filling in for my father before. Maybe we can get a hold of him again."

"You're talking about Gary Oak, right?" Bill interjected.

"Yeah."

"Well, we can call Professor Oak and ask him about it. He's Gary's grandfather, after all."

Everyone huddled around a TV phone as Chase called the professor. Samuel Oak answered within moments and said, "Why, hello there, Chase! I haven't spoken to you in quite some time!"

"Hello, Professor!" the Trainer replied.

"Oh, and who are these people?"

"These are my friends: Silver, Jason, Bill, and Celio. Silver wanted to get a hold of you and ask a question."

"Sure! I'm all ears."

Chase moved so Silver could sit down at the desk. He held the receiver to his ear and said, "I was wondering if your grandson could fill in as the Viridian Gym Leader again. My father is Giovanni, and we have no one who can stay and watch the Gym for us."

"Well, I'm certain he'd love to help out again! Gary has been staying with me since he returned from Sinnoh. He stepped out to run an errand, but he'll be back soon, so I'll let him know. If you don't hear from us, he'll be able to fill in for you."

"Thank you, Professor! We better let you go. Talk to you later!"

"Okay. Goodbye!"

Both of them hung up. Silver turned to his friends and smiled, knowing that the Viridian Gym would be taken good care of. The redhead then bid them all farewell and went on his way.

Silver journeyed up into the mountainous region of the Kanto-Johto border, and eventually reached one of the secret entrances of the Mt. Silver base. Once inside, Silver signed in at the guard post there and walked down a narrow hallway leading deeper into the center of operations. Upon turning a corner, he bumped into someone.

"Will you watch where you're going!" the Rocket member exclaimed angrily. "Oh, S-Silver! Sorry, I didn't recognize you!"

"Hello, Butch!" the Trainer replied gladly.

"Where've you been? I've had no one to talk to."

"What, did everyone up and disappear?"

"I wish. But, sadly, that isn't the case."

"Here, I have a letter for you from Giovanni."

"Is it my pink slip?"

"No, I don't think so." He handed Butch the envelope and continued, "You've been with Team Rocket for a long time, and I know my father appreciates your hard work."

Butch looked at the letter with wide eyes. Then he jumped for joy, exclaiming, "I can't believe it! I got a promotion! I'm not dreaming, am I?" He pinched himself and muttered, "Ouch," then resumed celebrating.

"My father had only good things to say about you. So, anyway, I need to pass envelopes along to Art and Anthony. Come along with me, Mr. Executive."

"I like the sound of that," Butch chuckled. "And thanks, Silver."

"You're welcome."

The two walked down the hall until they found Professor Nelson working in his laboratory with Art. Now all four of them were alone in a secure room.

Silver handed the two Nelsons their letters. Giovanni had written that Anthony would be coordinating Team Rocket's projects, and Art and Butch would look after the team's affairs in their respective departments.

"How long is Giovanni going to be away?" Anthony asked.

"I don't know," replied Silver.

"What is going on in Giovanni's head?" the younger purple-haired man grumbled.

"You sound almost upset," Silver quipped. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Silver's right," Nelson said to his grandson. "We just need to do our best until Giovanni returns. We will keep everything in order and continue with his programs."

"I understand," Art agreed.

"Okay, is everyone on the same page?" The three others replied yes. "Then it's settled. Now, I have other business to attend to, so I must leave."

Silver excused himself and left the room. Then, he made his way out of the base and went to the northeast, heading to the Indigo Plateau, the place where the Pokémon League was going to be held. Meanwhile, Chase, Jason, Bill, and Celio had started on their way to the Pokémon League's headquarters, as well.

The next day, after wandering through the cavern named Victory Road, the four friends had reached Indigo Plateau, having met up with Silver along the way.

Chase and Bill spoke with the local Nurse Joy at a counter inside the League's main building. After seeing their Pokédexes and registering their Pokémon, she signed the two Trainers up for the competition, handing them passes to wear around their necks, and the group was assigned a cabin to stay in for the next few days.

Their cabin was made of logs. It had many separate bedrooms and a kitchen. The living room was large and came fully furnished, and there was a staircase leading up to the loft.

When they got to their quarters, Jason was the first to stretch out on the couch. Bill and Celio got onto their laptops, and Chase and Silver began talking about strategies for Pokémon battles.

They stayed there until it was time to see the runner carrying the Flame of Moltres to Indigo Stadium, a tradition that had been kept for many years. People lined the streets to see the runner, a fellow competitor in the tournament.

Bill, Celio, Jason, Silver, and Chase found a spot to watch up the road from where the torchbearer was. When he approached and saw Bill, he recognized the computer programmer as a competitor and handed him the torch. Bill was taken by surprise.

"Here, I'm supposed to pass this torch on to someone else that is competing. All you need to do is carry it the rest of the way to the stadium."

"What? No, I couldn't," he insisted.

"Sure you can! I've been carrying this flame long enough."

Bill hesitantly took it, and then he, along with his friends, jogged up the road to the stadium. People cheered and clapped as they passed by.

Soon, Bill handed the Flame of Moltres to Chase, who carried it into the stadium, where he encouraged his friends to all put a hand on it and held it up for everyone to see. The president of the Pokémon League Torch Committee walked up, thanked them, and took the torch.

Chase and his friends were amazed at what had happened. After the ceremony was over, they returned to their cabin, where they discussed how exciting it was to have carried the Flame of Moltres into Indigo Stadium.

The next day, the Pokémon League was to officially begin, and Bill and Chase couldn't wait.

****************


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

"Flareon!" Bill called. "Use Dig!"

The Fire-type dug a hole effortlessly and disappeared underneath the ground of Indigo Stadium. When it resurfaced, the foe Snorlax met it with a Brick Break attack. Flareon came to rest at the Normal-type's feet, unconscious.

The referee declared the winner of the match and the crowd cheered. Bill, disheartened, returned his partner and exited the arena. When he got to the commons area, Chase, Jason, Silver, and Celio were waiting there for him.

"Sorry about your match," said Celio.

"You and your Pokémon were great out there," Chase added.

"Thanks, guys," replied Bill. "I'm just a little upset I lost when I was so far into the competition."

"Don't worry," Jason assured him, "you did your best."

"Yeah, I think you did a great job," Silver chimed in.

"You're too kind." Then, Bill turned and said, "Chase, you haven't lost a match yet. I'll be cheering you on."

The Green Chaser smiled. "Thank you!"

"Now, remember: these are the semifinals," explained Jason. "You need to stay on your toes."

"I will."

Chase's next match was held a couple of hours later. It was a tough match, but he was able to win and made it to the finals.

The five friends went back to their cabin to relax. They spent most of their time throwing around ideas of how to execute certain strategies and how to make other ones better.

It was sometime after dinner that Celio noticed Silver sitting in a room by himself. There was a dim, reddish-orange glow coming off of the lamp that sat on an empty desk. The redheaded Trainer was slumped over, staring sadly down at the table.

"Hey, Silver," Celio greeted him. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, hi, Celio," he responded. "It's nothing."

"You seem pretty upset. Is there something bothering you?"

"Well, there's a lot on my mind, and I'm not sure what exactly I should do."

Celio looked concerned. "Just recently," he explained, "I found something out that really shook me up. Thankfully, Bill was there to help me. I think there's still more we need to look into, but I feel at ease knowing I have the support of a friend. It seems that you, Chase, and Jason are pretty close. Whatever it is that's bothering you, I'm sure you have a couple of good friends who would be willing to help you."

Silver's face brightened. "You have a good point there, Celio. Thank you. Bill is lucky to have you for a friend. You always have something insightful to say."

Celio smiled, embarrassed. "Thank you, but I wouldn't consider myself very insightful."

"No, I mean it. You took a load off my mind."

"I'm glad I could help."

It was getting late, so everyone went to bed. They got up the next morning, had breakfast, and Chase planned out a basic strategy for his final match. It was scheduled in the evening to let the Trainers prepare. After he was finished, Chase joined his friends in looking around town.

It was dark outside when the Pokémon League's championship match was about to commence; the bright stadium lights lit the arena, and the seats were packed with excited fans.

From the press box, an announcer started to introduce the two Trainers. Chase ran out onto the field from one of the opposing ramps. He waved to the crowd briefly, and then looked to the other side of the arena. In the tunnel, all he could see was darkness, unable to make out whom he was going up against.

"And now, let's welcome our second Trainer to the field!" exclaimed the announcer. "It's been four years since he last competed in the Indigo League, and he is widely known for his accomplishments! Please give a warm round of applause for Ash Ketchum!"

A young man around fifteen years old ran onto the field. He had black hair that stuck out from under his red hat that had a white visor and semicircle on it, and he wore a red jacket with black sleeves that had a white stripe going down the zipper. He also wore light blue jeans, black wristbands, a tan backpack, and red, black, and white-colored shoes. His beloved Pikachu ran at his side.

The two Trainers met in the middle of the stadium and shook hands. "Good luck," said Ash in Veronica Taylor's voice.

"Do your best, Ash," Chase replied.

They both walked back to their respective sides and prepared to battle. Their pictures appeared on a large scoreboard with six boxes on each side to display their Pokémon. Ash was on the red side; Chase was represented by the green.

The referee flipped a coin to determine who would get the first turn. Ash won, so he plucked a Poké Ball off his belt and exclaimed, "Donphan! I choose you!"

The gray-colored Armor Pokémon took form and stomped the ground. It looked experienced and very strong with tusks coming out of its mouth, and tough, dark gray skin on its trunk that went up its back and down its tail. Its picture appeared on the scoreboard underneath Ash.

"I choose you, Politoed!" Chase called.

From the red and white sphere appeared Chase's Water-type. It clapped playfully before taking up a defensive pose. Politoed's picture was shown in the first box underneath Chase.

"Begin!" shouted the referee.

"Donphan, use Rollout!" Ash instructed.

The Ground-type elephant curled up into a ball and sped towards Politoed. Donphan moved so fast that the Frog Pokémon didn't have enough time to counter. Politoed put its hands up against the spinning Donphan and caught it, halting its movement.

"Water Pulse!" Chase exclaimed.

The frog made a ball of water and thrust it at Ash's Pokémon. The burst sent Donphan sprawling.

"Donphan, you can do it! Use Hidden Power!" The Armor Pokémon composed itself, made small balls of energy float around its body, and shot them at Politoed. Chase's Pokémon jumped out of the way, but stumbled and fell on its stomach. "Now use Hyper Beam!"

Politoed looked up to see Donphan charging its deadly move. As the Water-type Pokémon scrambled to its feet, Donphan shot. An explosion from the impact caused a large dust cloud to appear. But when the wind swept it away, Politoed was nowhere in sight.

Ash looked up to see the Water-type falling on top of Donphan; Politoed had used Bounce right before the Hyper Beam hit. The skilled Trainer tried to warn his Pokémon, but it was too late. Politoed landed on Donphan, knocking it out.

With a heavy heart, Ash thanked his friend and returned it. Politoed hopped up and down, clapping in celebration. Donphan's picture on the scoreboard dimmed to gray, signaling it was out of the match. Then, Ash sent Pikachu onto the field. The Electric-type scampered out and waited for Ash's instruction as its picture appeared up on the board.

Chase returned his Politoed, knowing that it was at a disadvantage, and released Haunter, its picture appearing in Chase's second empty box. It floated in the air and stared at the small Mouse Pokémon. Although Pikachu was the only one to understand it, Haunter exclaimed, "Boo!"

The red-cheeked Electric-type shivered, but quickly pulled itself together. Haunter built up two Shadow Balls, one in each hand, and started throwing them at its opponent. After each throw, it would make another ball, resulting in an endless shower of attacks.

Pikachu dashed to-and-fro, trying to avoid Haunter's barrage. After seeing how inaccurate its attacks were, the Ghost-type made a very large ball in both hands. Haunter leaned back and held the behemoth Shadow Ball over its head, then threw it straight at Pikachu.

"Iron Tail!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu's tail began to glow a bright white, hardening to the density of steel. The Electric-type Pokémon jumped at the shadowy attack and whacked it with its Iron Tail, sending it flying back at Haunter, who ducked underneath it. The ghost shot another Shadow Ball that hit and pushed the Electric-type through the air. Then, the Ghost-type attack exploded, and Pikachu fell to the ground.

"Use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu shot a dazzling stream of electricity at Haunter. It connected, and the Ghost-, Poison-type floated motionlessly in midair as if the attack were nothing. Haunter stared blankly back at its foe before it fell to the ground, unconscious.

Chase was disappointed. He thanked and returned his friend whose picture had changed to gray, and made his next selection. "It's your turn, Butterfree!" he shouted. The Bug-, Flying-type appeared and fluttered gracefully in the air, its picture lighting up on the scoreboard.

"Hey, Pikachu!" Ash called. "Nice work, buddy! Come on back!" After Pikachu had returned to his side, Ash sent out Totodile. It jumped up and down energetically while saying its name in a raspy voice. This Water-type was blue in color, and had large jaws like a crocodile. Despite its cute appearance, Totodile could take a bite out of almost anything. Like the others, its picture appeared underneath its Trainer's.

"Use Sleep Powder, Butterfree!" The Butterfly Pokémon fluttered over Totodile and released green spores on top of it. Upon breathing in this dust, Ash's Water-type fell asleep. As it snored, Butterfree hovered happily nearby. "Now, pick it up with Psychic!"

Light blue energy surrounded the Big Jaw Pokémon as it slumbered peacefully, sitting down. Butterfree picked it up and held it in mid air, turning Totodile upside down while it remained in a seated position. The crowd chuckled at this, and some of the women declared, "That's so cute!"

Totodile awoke with a jolt. It looked around curiously, surprised that everything was upside-down. Butterfree released its grasp on the small crocodile, and it landed on its head. Totodile scrambled to its feet and used Water Gun. Butterfree was hit, and it made an emergency landing. It was wet and could not fly; the Butterfly Pokémon just stood there with its wings drooping.

"Use Bite, Totodile!"

The Big Jaw Pokémon ran forward with its stubby legs and opened its mouth wide, revealing sharp teeth. Just before it reached Butterfree, the Bug-, Flying-type used Psychic again, halting Totodile in its tracks. The Water-type tried to stretch its neck out and snapped its jaws a couple of times, but to no avail. Then, it was rapidly pushed back by another burst of psychic force. Nevertheless, Totodile came back. Butterfree was tired, but its wings had dried off enough so that it could flap them.

"Silver Wind!" Chase called.

The Butterfly Pokémon batted its wings, and a gust of air with silvery dust particles was blown at its opponent. Totodile was caught off guard and stumbled to the side, thankfully not being picked up by the wind. It hopped on one foot, trying to get its balance, but the bouncing made Totodile feel like dancing. It began by alternating hopping a couple times on one foot to the next to get the rhythm, then boogied around Butterfree in the strangest offensive move Chase had ever seen. Butterfree itself was dumbfounded by Totodile's bizarre actions and left its guard down. Then, as if it were part of the dance, Ash's Water-type bit Butterfree and continued to wiggle its body. Chase's Pokémon exclaimed its name in pain, but was able to get Totodile off with Psychic.

"Water Gun!" Ash instructed.

The small, blue-colored Pokémon happily shot a stream of water from its mouth while it continued to dance. Butterfree didn't have time to respond; it was hit and knocked to the ground, where it laid with swirls in its eyes. Chase thanked it for doing such a great job, and returned Butterfree as its picture turned gray. He then released Politoed once again. Maybe using his own playful Water-type Pokémon would do the trick.

"Return, Totodile! You were great!" Ash exclaimed.

A red beam of light shot from the Poké Ball in his hand and hit Totodile, returning it. Then, Ash tossed another ball into the air that released Staraptor, who shouted its name proudly. It's picture lit up on the scoreboard next to the others.

"Okay, Staraptor! Use Aerial Ace!" The Normal-, Flying-type flew towards Politoed quickly and slammed into it. Politoed fell on its back as Staraptor flew out of Politoed's reach. "All right, now use Close Combat!"

"Politoed! Use Water Pulse!" Chase called desperately.

The Frog Pokémon got up, made a big ball of water in its hands, and threw it at Staraptor. Ash's Predator Pokémon swiftly flew around the attack and continually hit Politoed with its wings and talons. The Water-type fell backwards, knocked out, its picture on the scoreboard gray.

"No…" Chase muttered in despair. He thanked Politoed for a job well done and returned it. Next, he planned to follow up with his strategy to fight fire with fire and sent out Pidgeot. The Flying-type's portrait appeared in Chase's fourth box on the scoreboard.

"Use Close Combat again!"

Staraptor flew at Pidgeot and attempted to punch it with its talons, but Chase's Normal-, Flying-type was agile and dodged every attack.

"Air Slash!" Chase exclaimed. Pidgeot was about to create a razor-sharp wind with one powerful beat of its wings, but Staraptor flew up into the sky using an Aerial Ace. "Follow it with Quick Attack, Pidgeot!"

The two soared high above the stadium. When Pidgeot caught up to its opponent, Staraptor suddenly used another Close Combat. The Bird Pokémon was caught in the combo, and then Ash's Flying-type used an Aerial Ace to finish.

Pidgeot fell towards the earth with its long, red and yellow feathers flapping in the wind. Fortunately, it was able to turn itself right side up and got some air underneath its wings. When Pidgeot noticed that Staraptor was right on its tail, it dive-bombed towards the ground. Staraptor did the same, but flew out and away. Chase saw what it was doing and shouted, "Pull up and use Quick Attack!"

Then Ash exclaimed, "Staraptor, you pull up and use Brave Bird!"

When the two Pokémon reached the ground, they did as their Trainers said and pulled up, and went into their respective moves as they flew at each other. Pidgeot left a trail of white light behind it, and Staraptor was covered in blue energy.

They met in the middle of the battlefield and collided. Staraptor's Brave Bird exploded on impact, kicking up a huge cloud of dust. When the scene cleared, Ash and Chase could see Staraptor and Pidgeot standing a yard or so away from one another. They panted heavily, and Staraptor looked like it had some electrical currents bouncing around its body. This was the recoil from using Brave Bird. Then, both Pokémon fell forward onto the ground, unconscious, and Pidgeot and Staraptor's pictures faded to gray.

Everyone was in awe. Chase and Ash returned their valiant partners, thanking them for doing a wonderful job.

"Torterra! I choose you!" Ash exclaimed as he tossed another Poké Ball into the air.

A large, bulking tortoise Pokémon with spikes and a tree on its shell materialized on the field. It was green in color with a brown underbelly and legs, and had red eyes. Torterra's picture lit up in Ash's fifth box on the board.

Chase released his next Pokémon while shouting, "Charizard, you're up!" His Starter Pokémon appeared and shot a Flamethrower into the air, ready for battle. Its picture showed up on the scoreboard in Chase's fifth box. "Use Flamethrower!"

Charizard shot a powerful blast of flames at the opposing Grass-, Ground-type. It took the attack, but while Charizard was still spouting fire, Ash ordered, "Rock Climb!" Torterra grew long, glowing claws and charged forward through the fire. Charizard had no idea what was going on and was hit by the 683.4-pound Continent Pokémon. That had to hurt.

Torterra stood over Charizard as it lied on the ground. The Flame Pokémon looked unconscious, but it suddenly smacked Torterra in the face with a Wing Attack. Ash's Pokémon reeled back in pain, giving Charizard enough time to get to its feet.

"Torterra," Ash called out, "use Leaf Storm!"

The Grass-, Ground-type shot a flurry of sharp leaves at Charizard that scratched it over and over again. If this carried on any longer, Charizard was done for. It shot a Flamethrower at the leaves, burning them up. Torterra was not fast enough to get out of the way and was engulfed in a huge plume of fire. It came to rest on the ground, unconscious.

Torterra was a tough customer. It gave even Fire-types a hard time. If it had not been within range of Charizard's Flamethrower, Chase surely would have lost another Pokémon. He was glad that Torterra was out of the match, but Ash still had other powerful Pokémon.

"Return, Torterra," Ash said with an empathetic smile. "You were amazing." Torterra's picture dimmed to gray as its Trainer released his Totodile, who continued to dance like it had before.

"Metal Claw!" Chase instructed.

With one large flap of its wings, Charizard was in the air, flying towards the happy-go-lucky Pokémon with claws glowing white. It swiped at Totodile, but the Water-type jumped over the attack and grabbed hold of Charizard's wing. Charizard landed and started reaching back with its hands, trying to get Totodile off. The Big Jaw Pokémon opened its mouth wide and clamped down, making its opponent roar. Frustrated, Charizard finally grabbed hold of Totodile, pulled it around, and looked angrily at the small Pokémon. Totodile was unfazed, however, and playfully shot a Water Gun in its face, having the Flame Pokémon release its grasp.

"Dragon Rage!" Chase directed.

Totodile started dancing again. It joyfully hopped around, but when it looked back at Charizard, it saw a ball of purple energy hurtling towards it. Totodile was swept up by the attack and propelled a couple of yards away. When it came to rest, the Water-type lied with its mouth wide open and swirls in its eyes, unconscious.

Ash smiled as he returned his friend. "Thank you, Totodile," he said. "You did great." Then, he tossed his final Poké Ball into the air. It popped open and shot out a brilliant stream of light that fell to the ground. Out of the white energy, a large Pokémon took form. It was orange in color with a yellow stomach. It had two horns coming off the back of its head, and had a long, powerful tail; at the tip, a flame burned fervently. Ash's Charizard raised its head high and issued a deep, bellowing battle cry. On the scoreboard, its picture showed up in Ash's sixth slot.

"Use Steel Wing, Charizard!" Ash exclaimed. With wings glowing a metallic white, it flew towards its foe.

"Counter with Metal Claw!" Chase commanded.

Charizard braced itself and caught the other Flame Pokémon by the wings.

"Seismic Toss!" Ash called.

Ash's Charizard smirked and grabbed Chase's Pokémon by the waist. It carried its rival into the air and wouldn't let go, despite all of Charizard's struggling. Then, the two Fire-types plunged towards the ground. Ash's Pokémon was planning on slamming its adversary into the battlefield.

In a desperate attempt to free his Pokémon, Chase ordered Charizard to use Dragon Rage. It shot the blast at pointblank range, exploding. Charizard was able to get away as Ash's Fire-type was left dazed and confused. Before the foe could get its bearings, Charizard came back to ram it.

Ash's Charizard was thrown for a loop. It almost went spiraling out of control, but was able to land safely on the ground.

"Use Flamethrower!" Ash yelled. His Charizard opened its mouth and shot a stream of fire at the opponent, who was still in the air. The attack missed, so Ash's Fire-, Flying-type took off after its foe.

Chase's Flame Pokémon noticed it was being tailed and lured its follower higher and higher into the air. Then, it turned around suddenly and hit the other Pokémon with a Wing Attack. Ash's Charizard tried to retaliate with a Flamethrower to the face, but the other Fire-type simply flew away.

The Charizards began a dogfight high above Indigo Stadium. Ash's partner launched another Flamethrower, making Chase's Charizard dodge to the side. But it played right into its opponent's trap and was locked in a Seismic Toss.

Charizard was able to break free early enough to avoid being embedded in the ground, but still landed roughly. It got up to see its foe standing nearby. Charizard's claws glowed white again as it ran up to use Metal Claw.

With a wry grin, Ash's Charizard caught its assailant's hands with its own, rendering the attack useless. The two large Pokémon were locked in combat, trying to throw the other to the ground.

"You can do it, Charizard!" Chase encouraged his friend. It started to get the upper hand after hearing its Trainer's encouragement, but was eventually overwhelmed.

As Charizard lay on the ground with its enemy standing over it, the Fire-type used Dragon Rage. This took Ash and his Charizard by surprise.

There was a huge explosion from this powerful blast. Ash's Charizard was flung a few yards away, but landed on its feet. Chase's Fire-type stood up and tried to keep its balance. The two Pokémon breathed heavily, standing bent over with scuffmarks all over their bodies.

Everyone in the stadium watched in silent anticipation for what would happen next. Ash and Chase looked on, hoping that their Pokémon would still be strong enough to remain standing. Then, finally, Chase's Charizard fell to the ground. Ash's Charizard smiled weakly, maybe in contentment that it had won, and knelt down, unable to continue.

The two pictures on the scoreboard turned gray, and both Charizards were praised and returned. Now, each Trainer had only one Pokémon left. Ash turned to his small Electric-type and said, "It's your turn again, Pikachu." The Mouse Pokémon nodded confidently and ran back onto the battlefield.

It seemed the time had come to call upon Elekid. Chase was not comfortable using his Electric-type, because he was afraid it would not obey his commands. But now, he was left with no other choice.

The young Pokémon Trainer clenched his final Poké Ball in his hand, and then tossed it briskly into the air. "Elekid! I choose you!" he declared.

The Electric Pokémon took form and looked ready to fight. At the sight of Pikachu, it got excited and let off small sparks. On the scoreboard, its picture filled Chase's sixth box.

"Use Iron Tail!" Ash instructed.

Pikachu's tail glowed white like before, and it dashed at Elekid. It jumped and did a front flip, aiming right for the other Electric-type's head. Elekid caught Pikachu's tail right as it was about to connect, then threw its opponent to the ground, reeling back its arm with electrical energy flowing to its fist.

"Use Counter Shield!" Ash burst out.

Pikachu started to spin around on the ground while shooting a Thunderbolt attack into the air, creating three columns of electricity, a move Ash had adapted during his travels. This made Elekid hesitate, but it followed through with its ThunderPunch.

The attack missed, so Ash's Pokémon quickly got away from Elekid and retaliated with a Thunderbolt. The Baby Pokémon just stood there and absorbed the attack. Ash and Pikachu stood in confusion, then Elekid let loose a powered-up Thunderbolt. The Mouse Pokémon was hit, greatly damaged from the high voltage.

"Elekid, use Quick Attack!" ordered its Trainer. Surprisingly, Elekid obeyed. Or, perhaps it was just going to use Quick Attack anyway. Chase wasn't exactly sure which one it was.

Pikachu was tackled to the ground. There, Elekid sat on top of it, and began slugging it over and over again with ThunderPunches. Elekid was going too far, so Chase tried calling out to it to stop, but his attempts failed.

"Shake it off with Quick Attack, Pikachu!" came Ash's voice. His small Pokémon was able to jerk Elekid off and dash away. "Now use Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu made a U-turn and made a great amount of electricity surge around it. Elekid just saw this as a challenge and held its arms out to catch Pikachu and bring it to a screeching halt. When they connected, the volatile move produced a large explosion. Both Pokémon were flung away from each other. Pikachu received a good amount of damage, but Elekid was the one who suffered the most.

The Electric Pokémon lost its temper at this and focused a huge amount of power into its hand. The electricity flying from Elekid's fist was astonishing. Some of the currents trailed off and sped across the ground for a few seconds.

"Pikachu, be careful!" Ash cautioned. "Don't let it hit you!"

Just then, Elekid ran after Pikachu. When it swung its arm, the Mouse Pokémon deftly avoided it with another Quick Attack. Elekid swung again with the same ThunderPunch, but Pikachu continued to dodge.

Chase watched in awe as his Baby Pokémon refused to give up and held onto that massive ThunderPunch.

Elekid and Pikachu's movements started to speed up. They seemed to be just a couple of yellow blurs on the battlefield. Elekid swung so rapidly that it was a wonder Pikachu could move fast enough to avoid being hit.

Becoming more frustrated, Elekid quit using ThunderPunch and began to build up every watt of energy in its body for a Thunderbolt. As the electricity crackled around its body, the smell of ozone was strong in the air.

Ash watched intently, trying to figure out his next move. Realizing something, he muttered, "That's it." He then called to Pikachu, "Use your tail!"

Elekid shot its attack with a thunderclap. Just as it did, Pikachu hit the dirt and stuck its tail up in the air, covering its head with its hands. The Thunderbolt struck Pikachu's tail, and Ash's Electric-type lied motionlessly on its stomach.

Elekid smiled, thinking it had won. But, to the small yellow Pokémon's surprise, its enemy got up off the ground. Before Elekid could make a move, Pikachu shot a super-powered Thunderbolt of its own, utilizing the energy it had absorbed by using its tail.

Chase's Pokémon cried out as it was severely electrocuted. Then, Elekid fell to the ground, unconscious, its image on the scoreboard changing to gray.

"Elekid is unable to battle. The winner is Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu!" announced the referee.

Ash and Pikachu lit up with excitement. Ash ran out onto the field and knelt down; Pikachu jumped into his arms, and they hugged.

"You did it!" Ash cheered.

Chase thanked and returned his Electric Pokémon. Minimizing the ball and putting it back on his belt, he met Ash in the middle of the stadium.

"Congratulations, Ash," he said.

"Thank you," the Trainer replied with Pikachu on his shoulder.

The top three finalists stood on platforms, the one in the middle being first place. A man presented the Trainer who took third with a bronze medal and small trophy. Chase received a silver medal and a medium-sized trophy. Then, he awarded Ash a golden medal and large trophy.

Afterwards, the five friends went back to the cabin to catch some shuteye. In the morning, they went to a local restaurant for breakfast and talked about the events from the night before.

Upon finishing, everyone took a last look at the Indigo League's main building.

"Okay, guys," said Bill. "Celio and I are going to head home. It's been very exciting lately, and we would like to relax for a bit."

"I hear that!" Jason agreed.

"You have our phone numbers, so just give us a call if anything comes up!"

With that, the two computer programmers turned and left as Chase and the others waved goodbye. When they were gone, Silver said, "All right, guys. I'm going, too."

"Where are you off to?" asked Jason.

"I'm heading back to the Johto Region."

"Are you going to be looking for your father?"

"I'm not sure. He'll probably come back to check on how everything's going, but I wouldn't put it past him to disappear again."

"Well, either way, good luck. We'll miss you."

"And I'll miss you guys. So, what are you going to do, Jason?"

"Me? I'm going to head back to the military base I was stationed at. I need to return the Lustrous Orb, but I'm going to look after the Adamant Orb myself."

"If it means anything to you guys, I've really enjoyed our time together," said Chase. "Thanks for everything."

"We might as well be thanking you," replied Silver. "I can't imagine things happening the way they did if we hadn't met you."

"I have to agree," Jason added. "You're pretty remarkable, Chase. You know that?"

The younger Trainer smiled. "You guys are the best friends a guy could ever have."

Jason smiled, too. "You two take care of yourselves. It's a mean world out there."

"You've got it," replied Silver. "Let's stay in touch."

"Yeah, let's talk to each other on a regular basis," Chase said.

The trio said their goodbyes and parted ways. Chase remained out front of the building, taking in his surroundings before he left. A Poké Ball opened from on his belt, making a popping sound and releasing Charizard.

"Hi, Charizard," the boy said. "You and the others did great. Thanks for all your hard work." Charizard grinned.

"Hey, Chase!" shouted a familiar voice. Ash came running up to him, wearing his fiery-red jacket and hat with Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Ash!" exclaimed Chase. "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't get to thank you for that amazing battle last night. Maybe we could have another match someday."

"You bet! So, what are you planning to do now?"

"Well, I'm going on a vacation to a faraway region with my mom and a friend of ours, Professor Oak."

"Cool! Sounds like fun. When will you be leaving?"

"I think we're going to catch a flight out there soon. What about you?"

"I'm heading home to Pallet Town."

"You live in Pallet? That's where I live!"

The two Trainers laughed. But their happy moods were dashed when, out of nowhere, a robotic arm reached down and grabbed Pikachu.

"What?" Chase gasped in surprise.

Then, a net was shot and captured Charizard. Both it and Pikachu were hoisted up and hung from a Meowth-shaped hot air balloon.

"What do I see?" a woman with long red hair asked from inside the balloon's basket.

"A Pikachu for you and me!" a man with shoulder-length blue hair replied.

"And a Charizard, too! Whoopee!" added a Meowth.

The woman wore a white shirt with a large red "R" on it over another, black-colored shirt. She also had a white skirt on with black boots and gloves. The man wore a similar white shirt with a large red "R" on it, with white pants and black gloves and boots. The Meowth was beige in color with brown paws and a yellow coin on its head, and its tail curled up into a spiral.

"Team Rocket!" Ash exclaimed.

"Hurry, let's hightail it out of here!" Meowth advised.

The balloon started to float away, taking Charizard and Pikachu along with it. The net Charizard was in seemed to be fire proof and would not cut easily. Pikachu tried electrocuting the mechanical hand that had grabbed it, but the attack seemed to do nothing.

"Go, Staraptor!"

"Go, Pidgeot!"

Both Normal-, Flying-types took form and flew up into the air. "Staraptor, I need you to go rescue Pikachu and Chase's Charizard!" Ash instructed.

"Pidgeot, please help Staraptor!" said Chase.

The two Pokémon followed their orders and flew up to the balloon. Jessie and James noticed them coming, so the blue-haired man released one of his Pokémon, exclaiming, "Carnivine, attack!" The Bug Catcher Pokémon appeared and latched onto James's head with its mouth. "No! Not me, them!"

After James tugged Carnivine off, the Grass-type launched a Bullet Seed attack at Staraptor and Pidgeot. They were able to dodge the seeds easily, and then came in for an attack of their own.

Staraptor shot towards the net with Aerial Ace and cut it, freeing Charizard while Pidgeot used Air Slash, which completely obliterated the robotic arm. Pikachu was freed and landed on Staraptor's back.

After the Pokémon had gotten away from Team Rocket's balloon, Ash shouted, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

The Mouse Pokémon shot a current of electricity right at the balloon, shocking Jessie, James, Meowth, and Carnivine. The electrical overload to the mechanism that operated the arm caused it to explode, propelling the thieves high into the sky.

"Ooh, I can't stand this!" Jessie whined. "We almost had Pikachu _and_ that Charizard!"

"Well, you can't say we didn't try," James responded with a shrug.

"We'll be back if it's the last thing we do!" she growled.

"Fat chance," Meowth broke in. "This is the end of our cameo."

Then, as they flew over the horizon, all three of them exclaimed in unison, "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" before disappearing into a small, twinkling light.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out joyfully as he was reunited with his friend. The Electric-type hopped off Staraptor's back and into Ash's arms.

"Charizard! I'm so glad you're safe!" Chase said in relief.

The two Trainers thanked their Flying-type Pokémon and returned them. Then, Ash had to say goodbye, leaving Chase alone once again.

He turned to his Charizard and said, "Now, we need to get back home. What do you say to one more hike through the wilderness?"

Charizard bellowed softly in reply, agreeing with Chase's idea. Then, the Green Chaser and his Pokémon ventured off towards Pallet.

* * *

Epilogue

A few days after the final match of the Indigo League, Chase arrived in Pallet Town. It had certainly been a while since he was last there. And yet, nothing seemed to have changed. It was funny how that worked.

It was just before noon when Chase walked up the steps of his porch and knocked on the door. Moments later, his mother answered. Upon seeing her son, her face lit up. "Honey, come here!" she called excitedly over her shoulder. "Chase is home!"

Chase's father was in the doorway within seconds. "Chase! Welcome home!"

"It's wonderful to see you!" said his mom, giving him a big hug. "We love you so much!"

"I love you, too!" Chase smiled.

"We watched you on television," explained his dad. "You did great! We're very proud of you!"

"Thank you."

"Chase!" came a shout. From down the dirt path they could see an elderly man wearing a yellow garb that hung down over his black pants.

When the older man approached them, Chase's father asked, "Who are you?"

"Allow me to introduce myself: I am Yosocky. I helped Chase on his journey and taught him about Pokémon." The former Blue Chaser winked at Chase.

"Oh, how nice of you," replied Chase's mother. "We're Chase's parents."

"The pleasure is all mine. I just wanted to congratulate Chase on the fine job he did in the Indigo League."

"Thank you, Yosocky," replied the Green Chaser.

"What do you have planned now?"

"I haven't really thought about it."

"The Johto League is beginning soon. Maybe you would want to participate in it."

"That's a great idea!"

"Now, I'd best be on my way. I have a friend who lives here that I need to see." Chase and his parents said goodbye as he left.

"Isn't he nice!" said Chase's mom.

"So, Chase. What are you thinking?" questioned his father.

"I think I'll take Yosocky's advice."

Chase had lunch with his parents and spent the rest of the day with them. The next morning, he restocked his supplies, packed some more clean clothes, and headed out. He hugged his mom and dad and released his Charizard.

"So, this is the little fellow Professor Oak gave you?" asked Dad.

"Yeah, but he isn't so small anymore," Chase replied. Charizard raised its head in pride, and grinned.

"I think he looks cute," Mom said. Charizard deflated.

Then, bidding his folks goodbye, Chase climbed on Charizard's back and took to the air. Mt. Silver stood in the northwest, touching the breathtaking blue-colored sky. When they flew over a couple houses, Chase looked down and noticed Ash walking back home. Charizard came down closer and flew over Ash's head with Chase exclaiming, "Hello down there!"

Ash looked up and waved with a smile. Chase waved back and continued west towards the Johto Region. But then, he noticed a golden light flying in the air out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to get a better look at it, he could barely make out the shape of a Ho-Oh in the distance before it disappeared underneath a rainbow.

It wasn't long before they were over a town. Chase pointed to the ground and instructed Charizard to land. The Flame Pokémon banked to the side as it descended.

Meanwhile, just northeast of Cherrygrove City on Route 30, Silver emerged from the trees to see a small house up on a hill. A woman was watering her flowers inside a short fence. She had red, shoulder-length hair and wore a sun hat. When she spotted Silver, she froze.

Silver sprinted up to the gate and opened it. Standing there, the two said not a word, but smiled and hugged each other tightly.

* * *

The End

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you very much for reading. I hope you enjoyed the ride. If you have any comments or questions, by all means, leave a review or send me a PM directly, and I will get back to you.

If you're wondering about a sequel, I cannot say for sure if there will be one. If you enjoyed this story and want to see where it could go, then let me know.

Until next time!


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